Something New

 

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things are new. 

2 Corinthians 5: 17 NKJV 

I've gotten away from making the traditional New Year's resolution except on certain special occasions.  It turns out that most of the things I resolved to do in the new year were things I'd been working on for some time anyway.  However, many people use this time of year to once again wish the old away and replace it with the new whatever that may be.  It may be money, health or family.  Whatever it is, New Year's is usually the time of year where we once again wipe the slate clean for another year.  It sounds more to me like simply another way to motivate ourselves.  I get it.  I remember resolving to do many things in years past.  Some I accomplished while others faded away.  I guess I did it because I saw those around me doing the same thing.  I don't have a New Year's prediction for this year.  What I do have is proof of something which has already become new.  Me.  That's right, I'm not the same man I was all those years ago.  Is this due to a resolution I followed through on?  Not at all.  This change in my life came about from my knowing and acceptance of Christ Jesus into my life.  This was in no way a New Year's resolution where I resolved to come to know Jesus better.  That's because I always thought I knew who Jesus was.  Jesus was that guy who died for me and then rose into heaven.  Yeah, that guy.  Never once did I think that I could have a personal relationship with Him.  Of course, that was before God revealed His Son in me.  The apostle Paul introduces us to Christ in us in Galatians.  It is Paul who speaks of Jesus living in him {Galatians 2:20}.  This is the Jesus I have come to know.  This is the Jesus who I live my life as.  I did not choose Him...He chose me.  

"I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me" 

Galatians 2: 20 NKJV 

If you're a Christian, you know just how bad you've been.  In fact, it's because of you that Jesus needed to come and free you from your sinful ways, right?  Well, you're on the right track.  However, we haven't always been that filthy, ragged sinner we once were.  Far too often, believers get wrapped up in who it is they USED to be.  They remember their past and believe in their hearts that this is who they are no matter what.  For their part, the church does not help when it continues to remind us of our former sinful past.  Yet, in the spirit of the new year allow me to present to you something new...you!  Paul explains to us in 2nd Corinthians that we who believe in Jesus have become NEW creations in Him {2 Corinthians 5:17}.  The old has become new.  It's as if Jesus Himself declared a New Year's resolution by which He declared that He would make you a new creation.  Now, I've never known God to lie, so when He tells us that we are now a brand-new creation, I tend to trust Him.  The filthy ragged sinner you thought you once were is now gone for good through Christ.  Whoever it is that you have thought you were for so many years is gone now.  You're not the unbeliever.  You're not the drunkard.  Who you are is one with Christ Jesus.  This is in fact the desire of Jesus, and His prayer for you in the garden {John 17:21}.  Not that we would continue living a life with a false belief of who we are.  But living a life of redemption and renewal through the finished work of Christ Jesus on the cross.  The old things have passed away, behold, all things are new.  

"That they may be one, as you, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they may also be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me."

John 17: 21 NKJV 

~Scott~ 

Enemy At The Gate

 

"First the Germans would sing one of their Carrols and then we would sing one of ours, until we started up 'O come all ye faithful' the Germans immediately joined in singing the same hymn to the Latin words Adeste Fideles, and I thought, this is really a most extraordinary thing - two nations both singing the came Carrol in the middle of a war"

Graham Williams, Fifth London Rifle Brigade

World War 1 went down in history as one of the bloodiest, costliest wars in human history.  The bloodbath seemed to transcend the limits with which mankind punished one another.  Yet, in the midst of this destruction arose a single moment of peace.  On December 24th, 1914, Christmas eve, soldiers along the western front of the battlefield began to sing the traditional hymns they remembered.  First the British then their German enemy began singing.  It wasn't long before, in the midst of the Carrols, that a few British and German soldiers lay down their weapons and began to cautiously approach the enemy lines.  As the singing continued, more men joined in until there stood in no man's land a multitude of soldiers who only moments before had stood as bitter enemies.  These men agreed to what some would call a 'Christmas truce' among the soldiers in their part of the hell of war.  Gifts were exchanged.  Photos of home and family were shown.  There are even rumors that a soccer game was arranged between the two sides, but it has been difficult to confirm.  What is it that brought these two warring sides suddenly to a temporary peace?  Memories?  Memories of home and of the traditions of Christmas?  Perhaps.  Perhaps these men, having already witnessed the worst humanity had to offer, had simply had enough.  Whatever the reason, the evening began with the singing of traditional hymns celebrating the birth of a child.  That child being our Lord Christ Jesus.  The prophet Isaiah spoke that one of the names Jesus would be known as is Prince of Peace {Isaiah 9:6}.  On a cold night in the middle of one of the bloodiest wars in human history, soldiers from two warring sides lay down their weapons to celebrate the birth of this Prince of Peace.  

There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment.  But he who fears has not been made perfect in love. 

1 John 4: 18 NKJV 

Moments such as this are difficult to come by it seems.  Moments where we are at peace with all that surrounds us.  All of the bad news.  All of the negative people.  All of which the world has to throw at us.  How is it that we can find peace with the enemy at the gate?  Growing up, my mother knew all too well that the world was not hospitable place.  She was faced with the pressures of raising two kids on her own.  How did she find peace in those moments?  Through the Prince of Peace.  Time and again, she would be on her knees in prayer because she knew that even though it might seem that things were crashing down around her, that Jesus was her constant rock of stability.  She understood that she could not overcome much without Him.  I wish that my mother would have known Jesus the way that I have come to know Him during her life, but I know that He was the love of her life nonetheless.   Jesus had more than earned the name Prince of Peace long before that night in France in 1914.  Many a Jew had expected His birth to bring about a revolution against the Roman occupiers of Israel.  Yet what He did was much more lasting.  Indeed, the Roman empire has long since disappeared, yet Christ Jesus remains.  As we celebrate this Christmas season, we also celebrate the birth of the child who not only is our peace, but our life as well.  

~Scott~ 

The Greatest Gift

 

For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given;  And the government will be upon His shoulder.  And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Isaiah 9: 6 NKJV  

It has been said that the birth of Jesus can be described as the greatest story ever told.  I disagree.  For to relegate the birth of Christ to something as small as a simple story, we will miss the importance of that which has been given to us.  Therefore, I prefer to see the birth of Jesus as the greatest gift ever given.  Which is what the birth of the Christ child ultimately was.  How ironic that as we celebrate a season of giving, we ourselves should also celebrate the gift which the Lord Himself has bestowed upon us.  The prophet Isaiah claimed that unto us this child was given {Isaiah 9:6}.  I would like to think that the gift of Jesus is one gift that would never be thrown away or returned, but that is not the case.  Around the world, millions of Gods children have never even known He who has been given to them.  To many, Jesus is simply a name associated with Christmas and Easter.  He was born, and He died.  But the life of the Son of God has much more meaning than that.  For those who have come to know Jesus have found a new life.  A life not based upon the guilt of sins past, but one assured by the finished work of Jesus on the cross.  Jesus was never meant to be crucified many times over.  Yet when we deny His work at the cross, we turn a blind eye to that which has been given to us.  This is a reality for those who have never accepted the free gift of Jesus.  It's not that God somehow passed them over like a Passover lamb, but that they simply have never accepted His offering of the greatest gift ever given.  I was once among that crowd.  I know many people who continue to live a life without Jesus.  The gift remains unopened.  It's funny, but I spent a good portion of my own life with the unopened gift of Jesus just waiting for me to accept Him.  Instead, I was content simply knowing the greatest story ever told.  

In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him.

1 John 4: 9 NKJV 

We've all been there before.  Sitting around the tree on Christmas morning sharing gifts with friends and family.  Then, the moment arrives.  THAT present.  It doesn't rattle, it's light and is in a very small box.  Can we get away with opening it later?  So, we put on our best surprised look and open the box.  If it somehow isn't something we want or need, it will soon be forgotten.  Such is the gift of Jesus for many people.  They have heard about Him, yet they have never known who He is.  The gift remains unopened.  But what happens when we open the gift of Jesus?  What happens when the realization is given us the true identity of the Son?  The apostle Paul described that moment best when he described his own realization of knowing Jesus.  Paul tells us that his "knowing" Jesus only occurred "when it pleased God" {Galatians 1:15}.  What was this knowing?  That moment when God "revealed His Son in me" {Galatians 1:16}.  This is the opening of the free gift of Christ Jesus.  This is the realization of the one true identity we have in Him {Galatians 2:20}.  We can read all the stories we can find about Jesus yet never come to this realization.  We can watch all of the Christian based movies of the Christmas season we can and still have that unopened gift of the Lord Jesus in our lives.   The free gift of Jesus is more than a story.  It is the opening to a life in Christ Jesus.  It is the greatest gift ever given.  

But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons. 

Galatians 4: 4 - 5 NKJV 

~Scott~ 

The Barter System

 

For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.

Ephesians 2: 8 - 9 NKJV 

I don't handle random gifts of kindness all that well.  It never fails, someone will present me with a gift and right away I began to feel as if I need to earn their kindness in some way.  My early relationship with God followed along the same path.  I had been taught that in order to get God's attention or seek His help, that I needed to offer Him something in return.  This was never more evident than this week as I listened to a radio sermon.  The pastor was making the claim that as Jesus gave Himself on the cross, that we traded our anxieties for our own salvation.  Has anyone ever felt that way?  That your salvation was more like a transaction that the free gift of God?  I know I have.  The apostle Paul assures us in his iconic verse in Ephesians that our salvation is indeed "The gift of God" {Ephesians 2:8-9}.  Why is that?  Well, Paul lays that out in the tail end of his verse..."Lest anyone should boast."  Can you just imagine millions of Christians around the world proclaiming proudly that they and they alone had secured their own salvation?  I just have one question, what price salvation?  What would you pay to secure your own salvation?  Could you even afford it?  What kind of loving Father would God be if He insisted that we buy our own way into His kingdom?  Better yet, if we indeed could secure our own salvation, what need would we have for the One who gave Himself in our place that we would have salvation?  Indeed, what would become of Jesus?  Would He simply be just another bible story?  Would we even need Him?  All of these possibilities would certainly exist...if not for the finished work of Christ on the cross.  Thankfully, the love and grace of God supersedes our own desire to secure our future.  It is God who created us to live one with Christ {John 17:21}.  Our salvation is not a transaction, but a gesture of love.  

"Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved" 

Acts 4: 12 NKJV 

It is foolish to think that we Christians are the only ones who have ever considered securing our own salvation.  We might feel that if we pray enough or tithe just a bit more that we will somehow have an edge when it comes to currying the Fathers favor, but we couldn't be farther from the truth.  As far back as the Middle Ages, the Roman Catholic church made a habit of selling indulgences to those who could afford the cost of having their sins blotted out.  So, as long as you had enough power, money and influence you could pretty much live a sin free life.  Again, with characters like this walking around, what need would we have for Jesus?  Thankfully a man by the name of Martin Luther believed that no human had the heavenly power to forgive the sins of man.  This is the burden which Christ Jesus willingly accepted {2 Corinthians 5:21}.  We need not fear that we will never be good enough for Jesus.  We need not worry that the price of our own salvation will be too much to bear.  Christ Jesus has already paid that debt in full.  

Jesus said to him, "I am the way, the truth and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through Me"

John 14: 6 NKJV 

~Scott~ 

How Can This Be?

 

"And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a son and shall call His name JESUS.  He will be great, and will be called the Son of the highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David.  And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end."  Then Mary said to the angel, "How can this be, since I do not know a man?"  

Luke 1: 31 - 34 NKJV 

I ran across a video this week, a snippet from "The Chosen" series.  In the scene, the disciples ask Mary to tell what the birth of Jesus was like.  She is reluctant but eventually reveals a few details about her child's birth.  Something I found interesting was how she described Jesus' need for her once He was born.  He needed to be cleaned.  He needed to be fed.  He needed to be kept warm.  This Savior of all mankind entered the world He would save...needing the help of those He would save.  This is the humanity of Jesus, and a part of Him which we very seldom notice.  When we hear His name, we automatically began to think of the man on the cross.  Seldom do we think of the young boy at Josephs feet learning from His father in his workshop.  Not often do we think of the young Jesus being held by his mother.  All too often, we prefer to see Jesus as the man He would become.  This is the Jesus most of us can relate to.  It is, in fact, the Jesus we've all been taught.  One of my biggest gripes about the bible has been that we have cheated ourselves by not including more of the history of the early formative years of the life of Jesus.  I believe that we do ourselves a discredit by doing this.  I feel that there would be much to learn from an extra chapter or two devoted to the early years of Jesus.  Fortunately for us, we have the history of the traditions of the Jewish people to fall back upon.  We have the history of the thousands of years of children being raised in the environment which Jesus was raised in.  Although it is not written about in scripture, we can assume that a young Jesus partook in the very same activities and behaviors which boys of His age did.  Can you imagine Jesus running through the village chasing other children?  Perhaps, but I can also see Him faced with the very same problems which the other children had.  Provided of course the other Childrens families did not have a child born out of wedlock or a boy who would one day save the world.  

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.

John 1: 14 NKJV 

What is your view of Jesus helping you through your life?  Do you believe simply because you're told to?  Or, as the scripture tells us, you believe that Jesus can help you because He's been where you are.  That's right, whatever situation you are encountering, we can be assured that Jesus has faced it in His time.  It was Jesus who, as the writer of Hebrews tells us, was tempted as we are {Hebrews 4:15}.  Wait, Jesus faced the same temptations as me?  Yes.  Remember the humanity of Jesus?  That young Jewish kid running through the village getting into who knows what?  Yeah, that Jesus.  This is the Jesus who was tempted as we are.  Can we honestly say that Jesus could share our humanity and yet somehow escape temptation?  Good luck with that.  I believe that as Jesus grew and matured, that He was bombarded with many of the same temptations which all of us have fallen victim to.  He knows what you're going through because He's been there.  So, Jesus was tempted to take something that was not His?  He was tempted to lie?  He was even tempted by more than a few of the girls in His village?  Yes.  For a minute, can you imagine what it must have been like for Jesus facing the peer pressure of His friends?  Jesus undoubtedly knew the difference from right and wrong, His parents would have made sure of that.  But how would He face the temptations of life?  We're told that Jesus was tempted as we are...yet WITHOUT SIN.  So, even though Jesus stared down the temptations of life, he never once succumbed to their enticement.  There is something to be learned from this.  Whatever it is that life is throwing at us, we can rest assured that Jesus has already been there and done that.  

For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in al points tempted as we are, yet without sin.

Hebrews 4: 15 NKJV 

~Scott~    

All Are Welcome

 This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief.

1 Timothy 1: 15 NKJV 

Do you ever feel unwelcome?  Like you don't belong?  Like everything you've done in the past somehow prevents you from ever being forgiven.  Well, if you have then you are certainly not alone.  For years I've struggled with my past, hoping that God would see past it enough to allow me into His kingdom.  I tell you, this is a horrible feeling, not knowing if you are forgiven or not.  Yet all too many Christians today suffer that same struggle.  Despite the evidence that God has not only allowed for our forgiveness, but for our lives in Christ Jesus as well.  But what about all the crap I've done?  You know, the bad words, the messed-up relationships and the people I've alienated?   What about all of that?  See, there I go again.  How is it that we get past all we've done to a place where we realize that all are welcome in Jesus?  Would you ever call God short sighted?  Would you ever believe that the creator of the universe would not know beforehand how something He created would turn out?  Of course not, God is omniscient, knowing everything.  We're told that He loved us first {1 John 4:19}.  So, how does our sin issue fit into an omniscient God?  First, God KNEW that we would fall short.  That's right, even before we were a twinkle in our father's eyes, God knew that we would someday fall short.  Yet He still loved us enough to create us in His image {Genesis 1:27}.  Not only that, but He also dealt with that sin issue long before we committed our first transgression.  Indeed, it is the blood of Christ Jesus that washes away all which we have, or will ever, do.  So, if Jesus provided for our sins to be forgiven, why do I still feel guilty?  Well, I believe that this question has a two-part answer.  First, we're continually told by the mainstream church that we're still guilty.  However, and I believe this is the most important part, we have somehow forgotten what it is that Christ Jesus has accomplished for us.  When Jesus cried out on that cross, "It is finished," it was the one and only time He would be crucified for the sins of man.  

Knowing this, that out old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin.  For he who has died has been freed from sin.  Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also love with Him, knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, dies no more.  Death no longer has dominion over Him.  For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God.  Likewise, you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Romans 6: 6 - 11 NKJV 

Has anyone ever felt like the apostle Paul?  That you and you only are the chief of all sinners?  Well, this is exactly how Paul referred to himself in his letter to young Timothy.  Paul knew exactly what he was talking about, for he had single handedly been responsible for the persecution and death of many followers of Jesus.  In His religious zeal, Saul sought to bring all who followed Jesus to an inglorious end.  Paul admits his transgression...as he tells Timothy of the desire of Christ Jesus.  That is, to save sinners.  It is Paul who rejoiced in the revelation of Christ Jesus in him {Galatians 2:20}.  He knew his past, but he also realized that his future was no longer tied to it.  When I mentioned that we have forgotten what it is that Jesus accomplished for us this is what I was referring to.  It is Jesus who Himself became sin in our place {2 Corinthians 5:21}.  We have been freed of our bondage to the chains of sin by the work of Jesus on the cross.  Once we realize this, the guilt and shame of our past will no longer hold us captive from the love and forgiveness of God.  

Every now and then I find myself listening to a remake of the old Christian hymn Amazing Grace by Michael W Smith.  The chorus, with added words to the original, help me in my realization that my past no longer haunts me.

My chains are gone

I've been set free

My God, my Savior has ransomed me

And like a flood His mercy reigns

Unending love, amazing grace.

~Scott~  

The Voice Of The Lord

Knowing this first, that no prophesy of scripture at all is becoming its own explanation.  For not by the will of man was prophesy carried on at any time, but, being carried on by the holy spirit, holy men of God speak.

2 Peter 1: 20 - 21 Concordant New Testament 

I've encountered it many times.  Someone will mention a scripture to me that they found enlightening, yet when I look at the words myself, I come away with a somewhat different interpretation.  Now, we need to be careful when it comes to interpreting scripture, because more than a few things can come into play which might affect how it is we see different verses.  How we feel about a certain subject and even our attitudes about the church can distort what we see as our interpretation of the word.  At the end of the day, it is just that, our own interpretation.  So, how is it, then, that the Lord speaks to us if not through the words of the scripture?  Well, this is certainly one way that He directs His words into our hearts.  Another way the Lord may communicate with His children is through the indwelling Spirit of Christ Jesus who is in us.  I refer to this as the indwelling Spirit, but it is actually Christ Jesus in us {Galatians 2:20}.  This is the Jesus the apostle Paul speaks to in Galatians.  For those who have had the revelation of Christ Jesus in them, hearing directly from Jesus is neither a gimmick nor heresy.  I count myself among those who have experienced the revelation of Christ in them.  I have always thought that hearing directly from the Lord was the easiest way to communicate with Him.  It does away with all of the mess of misinterpreting the words of the scripture.  We have all been witness to more than a few occurrences of misinterpreting scripture huh?  When I was a church goer, on many a Sunday a friend would come up to me with the all too infamous phrase, "God wanted me to tell you something."  Many a Sunday I would think to myself, "God, if you wanted so much to mention something to me, why not cut out the middle man and tell me yourself?"  I prefer it that way, me and God one on one.  No chances for mistakes or lost translation.  This is the voice of the Lord. 

But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed.  As we have said before, so now I say again, if anyone preaches any other gospel to you than what you have received, let him be accursed.  For do I now persuade men, or God?  Or do I seek to please men?  For if I still pleased men, I would not be a bondservant of Christ.  But I make known to you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached by me is not according to man.  For I neither received it from man, nor was I taught it, but it came through the revelation of Jesus Christ. 

Galatians 1: 8 - 12 NKJV 

How many of us have at one time or another, looked upon the sermons of a particular pastor or preacher as the be all end all when it comes to the gospel being preached?  In fact, many believers base their choice of churches they attend upon who stands behind that pulpit.  I get it.  I see this as complacency more than anything else.  As Christians, we don't like change, we want to wander into the same old church each Sunday.  Talk to the same old people.  Hear that same old sermon.  I don't believe that the apostle John would have agreed with that approach.  It is John who instructs us to test the spirits {1 John 4:1}.  The apostle Peter warns us of believers who will raise up for themselves teachers who their 'Itching ears'  want to hear {2 Timothy 4:3}.  So how do we then discern the voice of the Lord?  How will we know the voice of the Father?  Well, Jesus proclaims to us that His sheep know His voice {John 10:27}.  Not only that, as believers we know Jesus and we follow Him.  It is difficult to put into words that we will know the Fathers voice when He speaks to us, but we will.  As we have known the voice of our own earthly parents, so it is with our heavenly Father.  There is much evidence out there that a newborn baby immediately knows the voice of its mother.  Why is that?  Because for the months leading up to birth, the infant has certainly heard the mother speak.  It knows her intimately even before birth.  We are told that we have the Spirit of the Lord within us from birth.  It is God who has breathed into us the breath of life {Genesis 2:7}.  We will know the voice of the Father when He speaks.  

"My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me"

John 10: 27 NKJV 

~Scott~ 

The Man Jesus

 

Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men.  And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.  Therefore, God has also highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every other name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on the earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.  

Philippians 2: 5 - 11 NKJV 

I overheard a radio preacher the other night proclaim that we should somehow fear the holiness of Jesus.  That we should somehow walk on eggshells whenever it is that we think of being as He is.  I will agree on the holiness of Jesus and the Father, but to fear them?  What I fear is that this is simply more junk from the institutional church meant to keep believers in bondage.  I have the realization of Christ Jesus living in me, I do not fear Him.  I am Jesus, and He is me.  This is the result of our being one with the Father.  It is this relationship which Jesus spoke of, and prayed over, in the garden.  It is this relationship which Jesus desired for those who believe in Him.  Granted, there are a few places within the Old Testament where we see that the Lord is one to be feared.  But is this fear for the sake of it, or is it righteous fear?  Did the prophets fear the Lord God because of His ability to destroy them?  Or, as I believe, the men of old feared the Lord for His righteousness and holiness.  Consider Moses, who saw the ground he walked upon as holy ground {Exodus 3:5}.  I don't see God as one to fear, but as one to hold dear.  I find it difficult to relate to God if I am constantly in fear of Him.  This is exactly why I look upon Christ as the man Jesus.  Yes, on the man whom Jesus is.  For it is Jesus who lives among us as both man...and God {Colossions 1:19}.  It is the man Jesus who proclaimed His being one with the Father {John 10:30}.  It is this Jesus, who being fully man and fully God, chose to dwell in me {Galatians 2:20}.  The apostle John tells us that there is nothing to fear in Love, that perfect love casts out fear {1 John 4:18}.  So, do we really need to fear the Father or Jesus who love us?  

For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus

1 Timothy 2: 5 NKJV 

I cannot blame the many believers who have been tricked into thinking that our hopes are tied to a Savior who has forgiven us of our sins, but that we still need to pray for forgiveness.  Of Christians who live in fear of the Lord, despite God loving them enough to create them in His very image {Genesis 1:27}.  I have a dear friend who has been living in the bondage of the mainstream church for more than a few years.  It makes me angry that the church has done this to him, and to countless others.  However, this is not the point of my post today.  Today's page is all about the human side of Christ.  I believe that if more believers saw Jesus in this light, that it would liberate them from the shackles of false teachings.  I no longer see Jesus as a holy being, far removed from my life and sitting in heaven with the Father.  These days, Jesus to me is one who lives in me through each and every step I take.  He is with me through my victories as well as my defeats.  I can speak my mind to Him without fear that He will somehow be displeased.  He knows me and all of my quirks.  There is nothing about me that comes as a surprise to Jesus.  He's been with me from the beginning.  I am assured that there is nothing I could ever face that Jesus Himself has not encountered as well.  Sexual temptation?  You bet.  No matter what it is, He's been there.  We do well to look upon Jesus not as an emotionless entity, but as a man with the same thoughts, habits and emotions we all have faced.

For we do not have a High Preist who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin.  Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

Hebrews 4: 15 - 16 NKJV 

~Scott~ 

The Rat Race

 

"Therefore, I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on.  Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?  Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them.  Are you not of more value than they?  Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?  So why do you worry about clothing?  Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you that not even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.  Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?  Therefore do not worry, saying, 'what shall we eat?' or 'what shall we drink?' or 'what shall we wear?'  For after all these things the Gentiles seek.  For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things."  

Matthew 6: 26 - 32 NKJV 

They call it the rat race.  The day-to-day life which we all endure.  But for we Christians it will be different right?  We who follow the Lord will assuredly have an easier time of it than others, right?  Yeah, good luck with that.  Jesus even speaks to us that life will bring its own share of difficulties {John 16:33}.  Would He do this simply to unnerve us?  No, He was preparing us for the rat race.  I was thinking along these lines as we draw nearer to the Christmas season.  That time of year when the entire world seems to turn materialistic overnight.  There are worries about holiday parties, gifts to give and bills to pay.  Oh, not to mention the worries of the gifts we may, or may not, receive.  Not that this set of worries is more hectic than any other, but this is Christmas.  This time of year should be all about coming together and sharing, right?  Uh huh, good luck with that.  For as much as the holiday season brings out the best in people, it brings out the worst as well.  But, that's for another day.  What I want to talk about is the worries which we all seem to have this time of year.  Don't get me wrong, I feel that worry is inherent part of our human condition.   That is, if you choose to accept it.  There is a reason why Jesus told that assembled crowd on the mountain that day not to worry.  He lists those reasons for us appropriately.  Are you worried about what you will eat?  The Lord provides for the birds, and you are much more valuable than they.  Are you worried about what you will wear?  Look around you to the flowers of the field and how beautifully the Father adorns them.  Are you not more valuable than the flowers which will be gone by tomorrow?  Would Jesus advise you to do something that would hurt you?  No, homey don't play that way.  

"Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.  Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For My yoke is easy and My burden is light"

Matthew 11: 28 - 30 NKJV

Have you ever wished, in the midst of your own rat race, that you could somehow follow the advice of Christ Jesus and take His burden from Him?  Oh, how wonderful that would be.  Imagine not having a care in the world, aside from impending death on a Roman cross, the persecution of others and the teaching of a ragtag group of disciples.  Yes, this was life as Jesus knew it.  However, Jesus tells those who listened that His burden was light.  All too often we get caught up in our life situations and lose sight of the freedom that we could have in Jesus.  I admit I've been guilty of this more than a few times.  Not too long ago I did a little study on the faith of the apostle Paul.  Here was a man who was persecuted, jailed and belittled for his speaking about Jesus.  We rightly see him as one of the greatest voices to preach Jesus, but in his day, Paul was seen as a trouble maker.  Yet, he continued in his mission of speaking Jesus to all who would listen.  What was the bedrock of the faith of Paul?  I believe that Paul's understanding of who he truly was in Christ drove him forward in his ministry.  It is in Galatians that we find Paul speaking to his realization of the man he was.  Paul speaks to Christ Jesus living in Him {Galatians 2:20}.  In essence, the old man persecutor Saul no longer existed but was replaced by Christ in him.  Paul chose the lighter burden of Jesus.  When Jesus invites us to take His burden from Him, He is by no means asking the impossible.  For as we accept the burden of Christ, we soon come to the realization which Paul did, that it is Christ Jesus in us who is the centerpiece of our life.  The rat race might rage on all around us, but we can choose to be participants or mere spectators. 

"I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me"

Galatians 2: 20 NKJV 

~Scott~  

That Which Reminds Us

 

And when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, "Take, eat; this is My body which is broken for you; do this in remembrance of Me" 

1 Corinthians 11: 24 NKJV 

Those little sticky notes are a good thing.  Many times, half of my day is looking at these little reminders to remind me what not to forget.  Sooner or later, however, I need to tear down all of those reminders in order to make space for a new batch of what not to forget.  And the cycle continues.  I was thinking the other day of our lives in Christianity and how we have those little reminders of things we need to remember.  Consider the cross for example.  For thousands of years the cross has been a symbol of Christianity.  You see a cross on the side of the road, and you immediately know that a church must be nearby.  I always found this a bit disconcerting.  Consider if you were Jesus (yes, as believers of Christ in us we proclaim that we are, in essence, Jesus), would you desire to memorialize your own death?  I don't believe that the symbol of the cross is meant to remind us of Jesus as much as what was done to Him.  When we gaze upon that cross in the church sanctuary, and we do well to recall the insults, the scourging and the nails in his flesh.  Yes, the cross is a reminder for us, but only if we see it in the right context.  The early followers of Jesus viewed the cross with fear.  Good thing to, because most of the time the Roman authorities were looking to put more followers of Jesus on more crosses.  It was the job of men like Saul (yes, the same Damascus Road experience Saul) to seek out and punish these followers of Jesus {Acts 9:1}.  As a result of this, I don't see the cross as a good symbol of Christianity.  Of course, the man-made Christian religion has developed plenty of symbols through the years.  Unfortunately, for someone who has been in the church for quite a while, these symbols are hard to see and have become commonplace.  

Among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others.  But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved).

Ephesians 2: 3 - 5 NKJV 

More than a few of the symbols of Christianity are disguised as the rituals we follow.  The holy communion, the offering (although I question this tradition) and baptism just to name a few.  Now, I know that I will catch some flack over any criticism of these seemingly Godly traditions, but it's ok.  I ask you only to look upon yourself and your own knowing of what it is that reminds you of Jesus.  For myself, I am reminded of Jesus whenever I think of that man I used to be.  That man who stood outside a strip club one night with the sudden knowing that I didn't belong there after all.  That is what reminds me of Jesus.  The fact that He first loved me in spite of myself {1 John 4:19}.  I don't need the symbol of a cross to remind me of Him.  I will go a step further and say that when we reduce our memory of Christ to that of a symbol, we lose the relationship we could have had with Him.  The apostle Paul didn't need a cross to remind him of that which Jesus had done in his life.  How He saved him from a life of persecuting Jesus to a life of speaking to His love and grace.  So intimate was Paul's relationship with Christ that he spoke to how his old man had been replaced by Jesus Himself {Galatians 2:20}.  For Paul, he lived only through Christ in him.  We do well to realize that despite all of the symbols and rituals, it is Jesus who never changes {Hebrews 13:8}.  

~Scott~ 

A Knock At The Door

 

"Behold, I stand at the door and knock.  If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me" 

Revelation 3: 20 NKJV 

I have heard and read about Jesus, so I wanted to hear about Him for myself.  But where should I go?  The bible?  Aren't they just simple words translated by men of the church?  The church?  God's house?  This seemed to be a good start, so one Sunday morning I halfheartedly walked into a bustling local church.  There was a lot of activity in the sanctuary, with people making final preparations, I assumed, for the main service which was about to come.  As people settled in, the ushers greeted familiar faces and friends.  Funny, nobody came forward to welcome me on this day.  Yet I still longed to hear about Jesus, so I stayed.  In a few moments the opening music began, with a new age band doing their best to put a new spin on Amazing Grace.  I knew the words, but I couldn't sing.  I didn't feel welcome.  Still, I stayed, waiting to hear about Jesus.  After the music died down, an associate pastor led the congregation in prayer for a newer and better church home.  It seems that this had been in the works for a while, with the congregation lifting prayers for the beginning of the project.  After morning prayer, the pastor spoke a few words about the morning offering, offering an update on the finances of the new church home.  For a moment I wondered, where was it that Jesus spoke to those who followed Him?  Was it in a big fancy synagogue?  As the collection plates were passed around, I felt somewhat guilty.  I dug through my wallet and took out five dollars, wondering if it was at all acceptable to God.  I got a strange look from the usher, but I pretended not to notice.  I was here to hear about Jesus.   As the offering winded down, the head pastor urged his congregation to continue in prayer for the new church home.  He spent a few moments describing how old this building was, and how a newer facility would certainly usher in a new generation of Christians.  But what about Jesus?  

Jesus said to him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through Me."

John 14: 6 NKJV 

I didn't hear about Jesus that day, just a puffy sermon on how God answers the prayers of His people.  But I still felt empty, I wanted to hear about Jesus.  I decided to attend a mid-week gathering at the church where more than a few small group meetings and classes were being offered.  Surely, one of these could tell me more about Jesus.  I received a strange look when I asked a young man which class was speaking about Jesus.  He directed me to a class for new members and said, "It's better if you start there."  I nervously made my way to the classroom, grabbed a cup of coffee and found a chair.  Before long, a husband-and-wife team began talking about what was expected of new members.  Regular attendance, serving in the congregation and being in prayer for the strength and stability of the church.  Someone asked what they could do to serve, and the husband listed off a few things from volunteering in Sunday school classes to ushering during church services.  I wanted to ask how I could learn more about Jesus, but I felt out place.  Our instructors informed us that once we completed the six week new members class that we would be introduced during a Sunday morning service as new members of the congregation.  But what if I somehow didn't finish the class?  Would I be allowed back in?  Still, I wanted to hear more about Jesus.  We were given a good-sized workbook with different exercises and bible verses to memorize each week until our "Graduation."  As I scanned through the material, the only mention of the name of Jesus that I noticed was in the congregation's core beliefs.  "We believe in the deity of Jesus Christ."  That seemed like a good thing, provided I was good enough to pass the new member class.  Provided that I was somehow accepted by the congregation.  When I left the church that night, I was on the fence about ever returning.  I came looking to hear more about Jesus, but all I had heard so far was how to be a good church member.  As I drove home, I prayed, hoping that He would hear and deem me worthy of His love.  "Jesus, I'm in need of you, where are you?"

Now all who believed were together, and had all things in common, and sold their possessions and goods, and divided them among all, as anyone had need.  So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart, praising God and having favor with all the people.  And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved.

Acts 2:  44 - 47 NKJV 

~Scott~ 

Knowing Who I Am

Knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin.  For he who has died has been freed from sin.  Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, dies no more.  Death no longer has dominion over Him.  For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God.  Likewise  you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Romans 6: 6 - 11 NKJV 

Lately I've noticed a few different personalities of more than a few members of the gym which has become my second home.  Sure, you still have the traditional muscle heads who repeatedly flex their own muscles in front of every mirror they can find.  Then you have the rappers, those who don a pair of headphones that probably cost more than their car and go through their workouts chanting the lyrics to whatever obnoxious song that they're listening to at the moment.  Then you have the alphas, who have it in their mind that they are the most important people in the gym bar none.  Last, but certainly not least...you have me.  See, before I even step foot inside of this haven of pain and sweat, I know who I am.  My identity is not based upon how much I lift that day.  Nor on how much my muscles have grown.  No, the man that I am depends more on who is in me than anything I have, or will, ever do myself.  There is a well-known verse which I learned well in a small discipleship class in church some years ago which speaks to the man I am.  This verse proclaims that I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me {Philippians 4:13}.  However, over time I have heard a bit of a different translation to this verse.  CHRIST JESUS IS my strength.  The best way to explain this truth is to turn to the apostle Paul, who himself knew who he was.  Was Paul the same persecuting Pharisee he was before his encounter with Jesus on the road to Damascus?  No, something had changed.  As Christians, we have come to accept that Saul, the persecutor, suddenly was transformed into Paul the follower of Christ.  That's not the way it went down at all.  For after His encounter with Jesus on that dusty road, Saul was sent on a journey to discover the man he really was.  After a few years in the desert, Paul emerged with a better knowing of who he was.  

"I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me"

Galatians 2: 20 NKJV 

It is Paul who speaks to us the truth of Christ Jesus in us in Galatians.  We have his experiences documented through scripture.  Yet, all too often when I have broached the subject among believers about the meaning of Galatians 2:20, I'm told that this was unique to Paul himself.  Weird.  So, what does this all have to do with my assurance of the man that I am?  The same assurance which Paul himself had.  Not only can I do all things by Christ who strengthens me...Christ Jesus who is in me IS MY STRENGTH.  There is no small group class or video series where we will come to this knowledge for ourselves.  Again, we turn to the apostle Paul for guidance.  Paul tells us that it is only through the Lord's timing, when it pleases Him, that we come to the realization of Christ Jesus in us {Galatians 1:15-16}.  So, yes, I walked into that gym many a time without the realization of the man I was.  I felt as if I somehow needed to justify myself for everyone who was there.  Nothing could be further from the truth.  We are not under man's approval, but the grace and love of Christ.  If more believers were blessed with this knowing, we would have less of an identity crisis in this society.  

~Scott~ 

Unlikely Suspects

 Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me.  And He said to me, "My grace is sufficient form you, for my strength is made perfect in weakness."  Therefore, most gladly I will boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.  Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ's sake.  For when I am weak, then I am strong.  

2 Corinthians 12: 8 - 10 NKJV 

I figure I could have walked away with $2500.  The 1987 Minnesota Twins were 500-1 favorites to win the world series.  Nobody thought much of them in the preseason.  Sparky Andersons Detroit Tigers were the odds-on favorite to win the American League pennant.  Yet something funny happened once the regular season started; the Twins refused to go away quietly.  In fact, they ended up winning their division and defeating the Tigers in the playoffs to reach the World Series.  There, they outlasted Whitey Herzog's St. Louis Cardinals to win their first World Series ever.  Not bad for a 500-1 long shot.  What got me thinking of these Twins?  All of the times when we ourselves, or someone we know, has been convinced that they are an underdog.  That they simply cannot, no, WILL NOT, succeed.  We've all had those moments where we feel defeated even before we began.  The odds makers don't seem to be in our favor.  The crowd favorite seems set for yet another win.  But then something interesting happens.  The breeze blows just right to left field.  The ball travels a bit further until what seemed like another loss turns out in our favor.  The guys who make the odds call them underdogs.  Those who took it upon themselves to push a little harder.  To talk a bit louder in their quest for a win.  I know that I've had plenty of those underdog moments in my own life.  Moments where the power of Christ in me overpowers all which the oddsmakers said were against me.  So how is it that we could ever be seen as an underdog when we have the presence of Christ Jesus within us?  Probably because the guys who make the odds don't see Jesus as one who could make a difference.  I know better.  Then again, back in the day Jesus was seen as an underdog as well.  

"Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it.  Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it" 

Matthew 7: 13 - 14 NKJV 

How would you have seen a career Pharisee prone to persecuting the followers of Jesus?  What odds would you have given him to convert to himself being a follower of Christ?  Personally, I would have wagered at least 500-1 odds that the man Saul would come anywhere close to embracing the knowing of Jesus.  Well, as it turns out, I would have lost a bit of money there.  For on a dusty road to Damascus, everything fell into place as Saul was introduced to Christ Jesus, the very one he had persecuted for so long.  Had Saul somehow changed his view of Jesus?  No, but as with all underdogs, the Lord's timing played a crucial role.  Paul proclaims that his conversion only occurred when it pleased God {Galatians 1:15-16}.  Paul didn't work the odds in his favor.  There was nothing about his situation which was not entirely in the Lord's control.  Of course, this is the way it is with each and every underdog moment we will ever encounter.  In the background is the voice of Jesus proclaiming, "We got this."  You will have more than your share of negativity preaching souls in your lifetime.  The choice we have is whether to give them the time of day or listen to the voice of Christ in us.  His voice will be the one encouraging you and not placing odds against you.  

"I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me"

Galatians 2: 20 NKJV 

~Scott~ 

The Name Of Jesus

 "You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you" 

John 15: 16 NKJV 

How powerful is the name Jesus?  We're told that if we ask for anything in Jesus' name that our request will be granted {John 14:14}.  Yet, we're also told that we will have our request granted if we simply have faith that it will be {Matthew 21: 22}.  This has led to some hand wringing within the Christian community as far as which is the correct way to pray.  Jesus went so far in His sermon on the Mount as to give an example of the correct way to pray.  This "Lord's prayer" is demonstrated by Jesus in Matthew {Matthew 6:9-13}.  However, He is careful to tell those gathered on the hillside that the Father already knew what their needs were before they asked {Matthew 6:8}.  But is the Lord's prayer a true model prayer for us to follow?  I don't think so.  What we see in Jesus' sermon on the mount is Jesus speaking to the crowds in a way which they could understand what He was trying to teach them.  This is exactly why He chose to teach in parables at times as well.  So how is it that we incorporate the model prayer of Jesus we find in Matthew with the reality of asking in the name of Jesus?  That is the question I was asked by a friend this week.  In order to shed some light on how I see Jesus, it's important to visit how the apostle Paul saw Jesus as well.  It is Paul who spoke to the idea of Christ Jesus in him.  Paul speaks to this in Galatians {Galatians 2:20}.  Knowing the truth of Galatians 2:20, I know that I, as an individual, no longer exist.  My "old man" was crucified on that cross next to Christ.  All that remains is the vessel which is my body, which is now inhabited by Christ Jesus.  Knowing this truth makes all of my prayers uniquely personal.  I have opened up many a prayer with the phrase, "Jesus, you know who I am."  Would you treat a conversation with a close friend in a distant manner?  No, you would be very personal with them.  So is our relationship with Jesus.  I believe using the name of Jesus in our own prayers not only acknowledges who we truly are but how close we are to Christ as well.  

"And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.  If you ask anything in My name, I will do it"

John 14: 13 - 14 NKJV 

When it comes to our prayers, is Jesus speaking to us to ask in His name for His own honor?  No!  This is evident as Jesus speaks to the Father being glorified in the Son {John 14:13}.  This has never been about Jesus taking credit for our mere mention of His name.  It is the Father who gives the Son His glory {John 17:22}.  God, for His part, simply wants to be known by His children.  He desires to be one with Christ and His creation {John 17:21}.  So how does this enter into our prayers?  How powerful is this name of Jesus?  Consider the words of James, that even the demons believe that there is a God...and tremble at that thought {James 2:19}.  The very name of Jesus is a powerful spoken word, and we are to recognize it as such when we pray.  When we pray in Jesus' name, we understand the authority which He has been given {Matthew 28:18-20}.  We understand that there is nothing we will ever ask which Jesus is not capable of delivering.  We also understand that there is no situation we will ever face which Jesus has not faced Himself.  He is our advocate {John 21:1-2}.  He is also our access to the presence of the Father {John 14:6}.  It is but through Christ Jesus that we have access to the Father.  If we seek an audience with the Father, it is through the name of Jesus which we are welcomed.  This is the name of Jesus. 

Jesus said to him, "I am the Way, the Truth and the Life.  No one comes to the Father except through Me" 

John 14: 16 NKJV 

~Scott~ 

Storehouses

 

I thank my God always concerning you for the grace of God which was given to you by Christ Jesus. 

1 Corinthians 1: 4 NKJV 

I recall a radio pulpit pounder some time ago claiming that if we were ever in need that we simply needed to ask in the name of Christ Jesus {John 14:13}.  I will agree with this.  However, in John 14 Jesus explains that whatever we ask in His name that He will do.  Why?  That the FATHER would be glorified in the Son.  I thought about all of this this week as we spiraled into yet another Thanksgiving holiday.  Now, it seems that whenever we draw nearer to Thanksgiving, we instinctively begin to rattle off a grocery list of things for which we ought to be thankful.  I get it.  We are thankful for our jobs.  We are thankful for the income we have to provide for our families.  All very much needed items we should indeed be thankful for.  Yet all too often we miss the mark on just where our appreciation is handed out.  We thank our boss for the income producing job.  Really?  Even a non-Christian has to realize that there is a higher power out there that plays a huge part in our circumstances.  Call it fate or karma, we are certainly not alone when it comes to our life provisions.  The Pilgrims, for long the centerpiece of our Thanksgiving holiday, understood the divine nature of their survival.  Many a early settler knew that it was only by God's grace that they endured the voyage to a strange new land as well as living on that land.  Yes, there were already native tribes here when they arrived.  What is interesting is that the native Indian tribes of North America also attributed their survival to a higher power.  Coincidence?  Knowing this, was it perhaps easier for the early Pilgrims to describe their own faith to the tribes?  Perhaps.  We do know that there were indeed converts to Christianity among the tribal people.  According to the Thanksgiving story, the Pilgrims celebrated their harvest with their tribal neighbors in an act of giving thanks for their provision.  Yes, the tribes had similar traditions a swell.  So it was that the earliest Americans praised God and gave thanks for His providence.  

"The Pilgrims made seven times more graves than huts.  No Americans have been more impoverished than these who, nevertheless, set aside a day of Thanksgiving"

H.U. Westermayer

That the early Pilgrims had it tough is beyond a doubt.  That we ourselves may have had rough times as well is also not without a doubt.   Many people cannot fathom the fact that the very same Spirit we embrace for our provision is also the same Spirit we humbly see as the provider of our dark times as well.  God is not all smiles and sunshine.  If you're looking for a creator that allows only good into your life and prohibits the bad things, then just maybe you might want to follow one of those Native American tribal spirits instead.  As Christians, we have become accustomed to accepting the good as well as the difficulties in our lives.  Jesus, in fact, speaks to us that in our lives we should expect difficulty and tough times {John 16:33}.  We can accept this with gladness because Jesus has overcome the world.  Whatever toil, difficulty and sadness we might endure in this life, it is but a passing thing.  As believers, we can be assured that our true life lies with Christ Jesus who is in us {Galatians 2:20}.  So, on this Thanksgiving, we have a one stop shop for our thankfulness for all which life has given us.  He is the Lord Jesus Christ.  He has not only blessed us with our provisions, but has also embraced us that we should endure the difficulties of the world as well.  He is our One and only. 

You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. 

1 John 4: 4 NKJV 

~Scott~   

Among The Chosen

 

"I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me."

John 17: 23 NKJV 

I can recall making my share of bad choices.  Choosing to race my bike downhill without brakes was a bad choice.  Choosing to get between two fighting cats...another bad choice.  Many of us have a history of making bad choices, some more than others.  Recently I thought of some of the choices which Jesus needed to make in His life.  I came across many a difficult decision, but no decisions which we would clarify as bad ones.  Was choosing His path to the cross a bad decision?  I would say no.  For Jesus knew His path before He embarked on it.  He chose the Fathers will over His own {Luke 22:42}.  So, I present to you another question, did Jesus choose you or did you choose Jesus?   Did I choose Christ when I accepted Him into my heart?  Or, did Jesus make that choice Himself long before I was even born?  I know that I am created in the Lords image {Genesis 1:27}.  Knowing this, I realize that I have an intimate connection with the Father.  However, Jesus also speaks to us that if we have seen Him, we have seen the Father as well {John 14:9}.  Therefore, I can be assured that if I am created in the Fathers own image, that I bear the image of the Son as well.  I also know that each and every detail of my life was chronicled by the Father before I was born {Psalm 139:16}.  So once again I will pose the question, did I choose Christ or did He choose to be in me?  Well, I will take a step out of traditional institutional Christianity and say that Jesus...became me.  Yes, I took the initiative to accept Him into my heart, but by that time He was already in me.  How do I know this?  The apostle Paul speaks to the reality of Christ in us in Galatians.  Paul had experienced Jesus first-hand on that road to Damascus.  It was here where Jesus introduced Himself to Paul.  Of course, I'm of the mind that the Father had been in Saul from the beginning, yet Saul only finally came to the realization that day.  So it is with us. 

"I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me"

Galatians 2: 20 NKJV 

So, in answer to my inquiry, it is Christ Jesus who chose us long ago.  Long before we even were able to identify who Jesus even was, He was in us.  We know this from scripture.  So, why is it that I took so long to come to my senses and accept the Lord Jesus into my heart?  I'll put it to you another way, what took me so long to realize that Jesus was in me?  Far too many Christians spend a lot of time on that spinning hamster wheel in their attempts to measure up to "being like" Jesus.  When in reality, all we need to do is come to that realization that Jesus has been there all along.  If we have the Lord, we have Jesus as well.  If we have been created in the Fathers image, then we have the image of His Son as well.  But don't be discouraged, because Saul didn't come to the realization of the Lord in him right away either.  Paul himself tells us that his own realization of Christ Jesus in him came in the Fathers own timing {Galatians 1:15-16}.  Why did it take me so long to realize the truth of Christ in me?  My own realization of the truth of Christ came upon me when it pleased the Lord.  This is indeed why so many Christians still have not known the truth of Christ in them, their time has not yet come.  I believe that the Lord chooses the appropriate time to introduce to each of us the truth of His Son.  Our choice comes when we choose to accept Him or not.  Choose wisely.  

~Scott~ 

Plantations Of Stone

 

However, the Most High does not dwell in temples made with hands, as the prophet says:

'Heaven is My throne, and the earth is My footstool.  What house will you build for Me?  says the LORD, Or what is the place of My rest?  Has My hand not made all these things?

Acts 7: 48 - 49 NKJV 

There is a simple sign in someone's front yard that I pass day after day in my travels.  I do not know the person (s), but if I were to guess I would say that they have had a negative experience somewhere along the line with religion.  The sign reads simply 'Religion = Genocide.'  Now, a few years ago I might have been ready to march up to this guys front door and defend my faith.  These days...not so much.  What changed?  Well, religion didn't change for sure that I can tell.  What changed was my own understanding of what religion is...and isn't.  I've sat through more than my share of Sunday morning sermons spoken by some pulpit pounder trying to preserve his own job.  I've endured many a ear splitting jam session by some new age praise and worship band whose purpose it was to draw people into church.  I've sat through far too many classes designed to explain and overcome the difficulties of life.  I've been there...I get it.  I have a better understanding now of what religion is.  The boring sermons, the loud music and the endless classes.  This is where our religious systems have brought us.  Judging from the tithing plates being passed around each Sunday, we're expected to pay for all of this as well.  So if religion is a system, what examples do we have of what religion is not?  Well, I'll come right out and say that religion, in my opinion, IS NOT genocide.  However, I will say that religion is akin to slavery.  Yes, the religious system as we know it is slavery.  Religion enslaves people into a belief that God is angry with them over their sin.  Not only that, despite the fact that Jesus died for our sins, we must constantly seek Fathers forgiveness for any "unseen" sin we may have engaged in.  Our religious system is a cult based on the guilt of our former life, not on the hope of our new creation {2 Corinthians 5:17}.  Now, onto what religion is not.  

"God, who made the world and everything in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands.  Nor is He worshipped with men's hands, as though He needed anything, since He gives to all life, breath and all things."  

Acts 17: 24 - 25 NKJV 

Let's make a checklist shall we.  On one list we will list all which our religious system has given to you.  On the other page we will then list all which the Lord has given to you.  Which list do you think is more impressive?  Which list do you think is more beneficial to you?  Has religion given you life?  Has religion ever given anything life?  I know that there will be more than a few hardcore religious types out there who will rattle off more than a few things which they feel that religion has given to us.  So I ask you, what has religion ever given to you that God has not already created?  This is one thing that religion is not...self sustaining.  The religious system needs the resources of people to survive.  In contrast, Jesus did not command those few fishermen to follow Him.  No, He simply invited them to 'Come and see' {John 1:39}.  This is the invitation which Christ gives to all who seek Him...come and see.  Religion is not freedom.  I have listened to far too many people who speak of freedom in the Lord while they continue to struggle with the forgotten sin which the pastor warned them about.  Don't be deceived, sin in itself is slavery.  However, God has dealt a death blow to sin through the finished work of Christ.  As a result, despite what the pastor tells you, we are no longer slaves to sin {Romans 6:6}.  I have found that true freedom does not come from how often we go to church.  We are not redeemed by how much we tithe.  True freedom only comes from our own realization of who we are.  The apostle Paul spoke to this reality in Galatians.  Paul explains that it is Jesus Himself who now lives in us {Galatians 2:20}.  Paul was a man raised in the religious system of his day.  If anyone knew religion...it was Paul.  Yet, somewhere on a road to Damascus, God decided it was time for Saul to throw away all he thought he knew about Him and to introduce him to His Son.  His offer still stands today.  Think you know God?  Come and see.

Then Jesus turned, and seeing them following, said to them, "What do you seek?"  They said to Him, "Rabbi (teacher), "Where are you staying?"  He said to them, "Come and see."  They came and saw where He was staying, and remained with Him that day.  

John 1: 38 - 39 NKJV 

~Scott~ 

Living Blessed

 

So Jesus answered and said to them, "Have faith in God.  "For assuredly I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, 'be removed and be cast into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that these things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says.  "Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them." 

Mark 11: 22 - 24 NKJV 

I was thinking this week about a new term I could introduce among believers in Jesus.  It's something we've all seen before, but with a radical new twist.  How many remember the "Name it and claim it" days of the institutional church?  I do.  I was taught that if I needed something from God, that all I needed to do was pray long and hard enough and He would provide for me.  Like any good parent, if a child asks often enough the parent finally gives in, right?  Well, unfortunately things don't always work out that way.  When they don't there will certainly be hurt feelings as well.  I recall beseeching the Father for more than a few blessings over the years.  Some were realized while others were not.  So, Obviously I don't have some magic leverage with God.  Yet, as I thought about my current status quo this week I came to realize something.  I am living blessed.  Living blessed?  What is this I speak of?  Well, basically what I see living blessed as is knowing in my heart that I have what I need.  Through the provision of the Lord, I have what I need.  Now, that's not saying that I wouldn't turn down a new car or more money in my account, but for what I need...I am living blessed.  In my heart I know that whatever happens, that God will provide for me what I need.  That's the kicker, our assurance that the Lord will provide for us.  These are not simply words which we memorize from scripture, but our unshakable belief that God will provide.  It's not a new version of name it and claim it based upon our own prayer efforts.  We believe it, therefore God will deliver it.  The "it" I speak of can be different for different people.  A single mother will believe in her heart that God will provide for her family.  While a public official will trust that God will give him the wisdom to lead.  Whatever it is that we need, we can rest assured that God already knows about it and will work in His timing.

Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. 

Hebrews 11: 1 NKJV 

I still remember it like it was yesterday.  I had seen my mother kneeling in prayer on the old couch in our living room.  Sometimes she would be crying, while others she would simply be silent.  I didn't realize until later the burden she felt in providing for her family.  One particular Christmas season was pretty tight financially, and I would come home from school to find her once again kneeling in front of the couch...quiet in prayer.  I also would not know until later in life how deep my mothers faith in God truly was.  Despite her circumstances, she believed that God would provide for her family.  The day before Christmas there was a knock at the door.  As my mother stood there, a total stranger handed her a envelope and walked away.  That envelope held $200 in cash.  Now, this was back in the 1970's, so $200 was a big thing.  The very first thing my mother did after closing the door was to pray.  Once again kneeling upon the old couch.  So I ask you, was it her constant prayers which finally persuaded God to help us?  Or, as I believe, was it her unshakable faith that if she came boldly to the throne of the Lord that He would honor her request?  I would mention that I have neither the time nor the patience for those institutional church embedded souls who swear up and down that our repeated prayers are needed in order to sway Gods favors.  The apostle Paul tells us in Ephesians that our salvation IS NOT based upon our own works {Ephesians 2:8-9}.  I can pray "SAVE ME GOD!" ten million times and I would not end up any closer to knowing Christ than your average pagan world worshipper.  However, if I BELIEVE in my heart that Jesus is the Son of God, and that the Father indeed raised Him from the dead, then the Father is indeed in me{1 John 4:15}.  This isn't a matter of simply building up enough credits to buy our salvation, but in believing that through Christ Jesus we have it.  Once we can understand this, then we are truly living blessed.  

That if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. 

Romans 10: 9 NKJV 

~Scott~ 

Workplace Jesus

 "I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me."

Galatians 2: 20 NKJV 

It's been said that a person will spend a good amount of their lifetime away from home and at work.  Like it or not, if you are a working person, then you will spend most of your time either at your job or worrying about your job.  Of course, over time this leads to various conflicts with our employers and those we work with.  Some years ago I worked in a busy bus yard cleaning buses each night.  It was rough, but the money was good.  One of the best pieces of advice I got from someone who had been there longer than me was that there was a lot of people in the yard at one time, so I wouldn't get along with them all.  And I didn't.  I would give this same advice to anyone in the workplace, you're not going to get along with everyone.  No matter how difficult we try to be that nice guy, that religious guy or that guy who has no feelings, we won't get along with everyone.  Trust me, I've tried over the years.  I've seen my share of people who would go out of their way to make someone miserable.  Of course, I also noticed that it was these very people who were themselves miserable.  Coincidence?  There have been those times when I have felt inferior and low and have felt like making others feel the same way I did.  I get it.  But at the risk of digging up another Christian cliche, is this what Jesus would do?  For over time I've also come to realize that many of the conflicts we have in the workplace can come down to one issue...how we feel about ourselves.  It's no secret that if we feel sad or hurt or angry, that this also affects our own behavior.  When our behavior is affected, we may treat those around us wrong.  When that happens, conflicts arise.  Coincidence?  So, how is it that we can go through each day knowing in our hearts that we are good people?  How is it that we can start seeing those around us as the same good people?  Well, I will tell you that it all begins with Jesus.  That's right, Jesus is the center of how we see ourselves AND those around us.  If you've always thought that Jesus simply was there to save us from our sins, then you're in for a important discovery in your faith.  Yes, Jesus did save you from your sins, but He is also a intimate part of your life.  

"That they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me." 

John 17: 21 NKJV 

We cannot even begin to understand the intimate relationship we share with Christ until we understand the truth of who He is.  Is Jesus our Savior who died for our sins and after that ascended into heaven to be with the Father?  Yes, but this is only part of the truth of Jesus.  The apostle Paul speaks to the relationship we share with Jesus in Galatians.  It is Paul who speaks to Christ living in us {Galatians 2:20}.  If we understand the truth of Christ in us, then we also must understand that it is Jesus Himself who shares in every aspect of our life.  Yes, including our work life.  If we understand the truth of Christ Jesus, we began to see ourselves differently as well.  For if Jesus lives in us, then we are definitely not the person which we fear others see us as.  Of course, knowing the truth of Jesus also means that those we work with are definitely not the same people you might have thought they were either.  As Christians, we do not hold a monopoly on who it is that Jesus lives in.  The truth is, the Spirit of Jesus is in us all, there are those who simply choose not to recognize it.  The prayer of Jesus in the garden in John 17 gives us a glimpse into how Jesus Himself desires we see ourselves.  That we "All may be one" {John 17:21}.  As Jesus and the Father are one, so are we one with them.  This is something I've only come to realize over time.  The world will continue to try to spread the lie of the deceiver that we are not important to the Lord.  That we are but sinners.  Yet the truth of Christ Jesus assures us that it is He who now lives in us.

By this we know that we abide in Him, and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit.

1 John 4: 13 NKJV 

~Scott~