A Gift Not Deserved

Human vs. Spiritual – Who’s the Winner?

Read: Romans 5:6-11

As we age, everyday, we get older and think our strength will not run out.  The older we get the more confident we are of our strength failing.  Unfortunately we must rest every night and replenish our strength to ‘fight again’ tomorrow.  If we don’t rest, we will eventually crash, get weaker, and possibly sick!  When was the last time you stayed up as late as possible, only to miss the morning of the new day – resting up!?

God knows our weaknesses!  He in fact made us.  Why did he make us so weak?  Why do we believe we are so strong?  Consider this my friends …

^{Lamentations 3:}

²² The Lord’s lovingkindnesses indeed never cease, For His compassions never fail. ²³ They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness.
²⁴ “The Lord is my portion,” says my soul, “Therefore I have hope in Him.”

How can we trust in ourselves more than Him?

Romans 5: ⁶ For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. 

This is an amazing thought, so who could have done this but God!  I sure couldn't even if I thought I had the strength to do it!   

While I remain helpless and weak everyday – Christ died for me at the perfect time.    Here’s what that means to me:

We don’t like to talk about it, but we should.  Death is like a Gift – in Christ’s death he gave us a ‘gift’ of life!  A gift we didn't deserve … eternal life if we trust in Him.  But wait it gets better!   First ask yourself this question, ‘What do I need to ‘die to’ in order to give something to someone else?  Don’t have an answer?

So let’s re-read the passage and exchange (for a moment) the word GIVE for DIE …

Romans 5: ⁷ For one will hardly GIVE for a righteous man; though perhaps for the good man someone would dare even to GIVE. ⁸ But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were (still) yet sinners, Christ GAVE for us.

I can see myself “giving” something to a righteous man, and perhaps dare to “give” to a good man, but to “give” something like love to someone still acting selfishly sinful!?    That would kill me!  Right!

But here is where it gets better …

Romans 5: ⁹ Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him. ¹⁰ For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. ¹¹ And not only this, but we also exult in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation.

While the death of Christ gave us a gift that we didn't deserve – eternal life when we die, the life of Christ shall save us to live a life of mutual friendship with God today!  So, what kind of life are you giving others?

Reconciliation is a change from enmity to friendship.  It is mutual.  What other friendship do you have that is truly mutual?  God has conferred on me the token of His friendship – by GIVING us His gift of Christ’s death on the Cross.

Spiritual living does outlast, out gives, out loves the Human effort – everyday!

Missing Normal

Why isn't it funny to think of things that should be going on as ‘normal’?   I will be healthy; I will someday get married; we will never have any problems; if we work hard enough things will work out.  These are just some examples of what we all think of as normal.

What happens when things don’t work out as normal?  The doctor said what; How did the accident happen; I am too young for this; I am too old for this; we didn’t expect this to happen … to us?  These are some examples of what we call real life.

Often what comes mind and what we think are: “Things didn’t happen as we thought” and “Why have I missed a normal life?”  Be honest, you’ve thought that before!  Right!?

Question – what is normal?  Better stated – what are your expectations of normal?  Who controls normal?  How good are You at controlling normal?  I know how not good I am!

My heart goes to that new mother whose baby is born with some type of defect.  Consider a child who loses his parent to a sudden death or divorce early in their life.  A new Christian comes home to strife and disgrace without much hope of an understanding mate.  A teenager sees so many other friends with cars and freedoms of their own.  The businessman working hard everyday seeing others promoted as he continue supporting them.  Are those normal ways?  Sure they are … what is your normal?

Check this out in the New Testament – Jesus speaking … with a man who's hand is withered.

Matthew 12:12-14

How much more valuable then is a man than a sheep! So then, it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.” Then He said to the man, “Stretch out your hand!” He stretched it out, and it was restored to normal, like the other. But the Pharisees went out and conspired against Him, as to how they might destroy Him.

Jesus healing on the Sabbath was challenged by the Pharisees.  Really?  What I want you to see is this; the hand was restored to ‘normal’, like the other.  So many times we think our problems are not normal – but they are!  When we meet other people who have gone through or are going through things we get excited because they understand our pain and we understand theirs.  Jesus has to make us ‘stretch out our problem’ at times so we can see them clearly.  Then He does the restoring – to His normal.  The funny thing is the Pharisees wanted to destroy His normal.  Why?  They thought they could control their normal life!

Are you missing normal?  Do you get angry because your life is not like everyone around you?  We all do … but when we look at our loving Lord and know He is in control then He can restore us back and help us accept ourselves so much better than before. 

That's Normal.

With a Grateful Prayer and a Thankful Heart: How Should A King Come? Even a child knows the answer of course.

This is one of my favorite Christmas songs!  It's not often heard - please listen to the words!

With a Grateful Prayer and a Thankful Heart: How Should A King Come? Even a child knows the answer of course.

The FANS

We've all been there and experienced an event where the crowd is gathering and the excitement is building.  Everyone is getting to their seat who has a ticket, and others are purchasing hats or t-shirts to claim their full support and backing.  These times are electrifying and the anticipation is packed full of wonder!  The FANS are all together in this event knowing what each other agree on ... their TEAM!


What happens if you not yet a fan of either team ... yet?  What if this was your first exposure to this type of event?  You don't really know much about either side or even what will happen next!


Now, pull this same experience into your heart.  Put yourself in this situation from the perspective of someone else experiencing your life, your world, your church.  My church?  What?


Today's fan expects others to know why they are so ... fanatic! Come on - The shirt, the hat, the EXCITEMENT - it's obvious, right!?  Not always.  So many people don't understand the Bible, the purpose of the church, Jesus, or even life!


Taking this person into your "event" is strange to them and even uncomfortable - they are not dressed with the FAN garb or even have the chant down like everyone else!  They sit when others stand, they don't scream when others scream, they are not into what the FAN is doing or even thinking!  WHY?


The FAN is into themselves and their team, not those who are from the outside.  People who are outside the normal American church are not welcomed FANS and don't feel comfortable for many reasons.  Oh, then there are those who quote scripture at people and know they understand everything exactly as King James wrote it!


Bottom line - we all need to enjoy the game.  Not everyone has the same perspective on the game as you or me.  When 'outsiders' come into our world - we must make sure we share the excitement and GIFT of being a FAN.  Otherwise it's not fun for them if we expect them to know it - without sharing it first.


Ephesians 2:4-10

But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up with Him, and SEATED US with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.  For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.

April FOOL - or Anytime FOOL?

Denied

None of us see ourselves as a fool, but we sure see foolishness in others.  It’s the last thing you would want anyone to say to you.  So if we are wondering what others see in us that maybe we can’t see, what do you think God sees in us?  Look at it from a real life perspective …

Defined

–noun

1. a silly or stupid person; a person who lacks judgment or sense.

2. a professional jester, formerly kept by a person of royal or noble rank for amusement: the court fool.

3. a person who has been tricked or deceived into appearing or acting silly or stupid: to make a fool of someone.

4. an ardent enthusiast who cannot resist an opportunity to indulge an enthusiasm (usually preceded by a present participle): He's just a dancing fool.

5. a weak-minded or idiotic person.

(http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/fool)

Described

We may think fools are what other people are, but measured by God’s standards in the Bible we may be surprised about ourselves:

Proverbs 10:18  18 Whoever conceals hatred with lying lips and spreads slander is a fool.	Proverbs 12:15 15 The way of fools seems right to them, but the wise listen to advice.
Proverbs 14:16  16 The wise fear the LORD and shun evil, but a fool is hotheaded and yet feels secure.	Proverbs 15:5  5 A fool spurns a parent’s discipline, but whoever heeds correction shows prudence.
Proverbs 18:2  2 Fools find no pleasure in understanding but delight in airing their own opinions.	Proverbs 19:1  1 Better the poor whose walk is blameless than a fool whose lips are perverse.
Proverbs 29:11 11 Fools give full vent to their rage, but the wise bring calm in the end.	Psalm 14:1  1 The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, their deeds are vile; there is no one who does good.

(New International Version, ©2011)

Declared

Rich young Ruler

14 Jesus replied, “Man, who appointed me a judge or an arbiter between you?” 15 Then he said to them, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.”

16 And he told them this parable: “The ground of a certain rich man yielded an abundant harvest. 17 He thought to himself, ‘What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.’

18 “Then he said, ‘This is what I’ll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store my surplus grain. 19 And I’ll say to myself, “You have plenty of grain laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.”’

20 “But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’

21 “This is how it will be with whoever stores up things for themselves but is not rich toward God.”
Luke 12:14-21 (New International Version, ©2011)

This is NO Joke!