Thursday, September 30, 2010
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
An Expectant Father
Ephesians 1:3-6
Vs.3 “…who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ…” This is past tense. He has already put forth the order to bless us with every spiritual blessing available in Christ Jesus. Christ said I must leave to prepare a place for you in heaven. The room is ready, the blessings are wrapped, gifts and talents are waiting. Are you ready to receive them? Are you looking? What have you found? Praise Him, thank Him. Are you living a like one who is blessed?
Vs.4 “…for the Father has chosen us before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in His sight…” When God chose to create the world, He knew we would fail Him, hurt Him, and disobey Him. He looked into the future and saw you, saw me and said,
“I want that precious one. I don’t want to miss out on the chance of having this one as My own. This one is too important to Me. I will create the world and send My only Son to die for the sins of this dear one, so that she/he can be holy and blameless and be a part of my kingdom.”
Jesus said,
“This precious child is worth all the pain and suffering I will endure.”
Do you know the Father’s love? Have you received the gift of salvation from the penalty of sin that Christ died to give you? *
Vs.5 “In love, the Father, determined that He wanted to adopt you and me through Jesus Christ, in accordance with His pleasure and will…” Adopting us brings Him pleasure and is in accordance with His will. Each of us is important enough to bring Him pleasure and be in His will. Each of us is a part of God’s plan! We are accepted, loved and pleasing to the King, the Lord Jesus Christ. He wants you to be a part of His will.
Vs.6 “…to the praise of His glorious grace, which He freely gives us in the One he loves.” Our part in His will (as if being in His will wasn’t enough) brings Him praise- just being and choosing Him, brings Him praise. Not what we do, what we have to offer, just choosing Him and being in His will. That is amazing! Think on this for a moment….when was the last time someone appreciated you choosing him or her? When was the last time you were valued for just being and not doing?
God knew before He created the world, which ones would choose Him and follow Him. He has been waiting, like an expectant Father, for the one who would say, “Yes”. He knew your name, who you would be and what you would look like. He waited thousands of years to die for you and than waited almost 2,000 more years to have you in His family. He did this knowing how many times you would fall short. He loved each of you enough to wait anyway and loves you despite your shortcomings. Wow!
He loves you more than you will ever know.
* Romans 10:9 “That if you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.”
Vs.3 “…who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ…” This is past tense. He has already put forth the order to bless us with every spiritual blessing available in Christ Jesus. Christ said I must leave to prepare a place for you in heaven. The room is ready, the blessings are wrapped, gifts and talents are waiting. Are you ready to receive them? Are you looking? What have you found? Praise Him, thank Him. Are you living a like one who is blessed?
Vs.4 “…for the Father has chosen us before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in His sight…” When God chose to create the world, He knew we would fail Him, hurt Him, and disobey Him. He looked into the future and saw you, saw me and said,
“I want that precious one. I don’t want to miss out on the chance of having this one as My own. This one is too important to Me. I will create the world and send My only Son to die for the sins of this dear one, so that she/he can be holy and blameless and be a part of my kingdom.”
Jesus said,
“This precious child is worth all the pain and suffering I will endure.”
Do you know the Father’s love? Have you received the gift of salvation from the penalty of sin that Christ died to give you? *
Vs.5 “In love, the Father, determined that He wanted to adopt you and me through Jesus Christ, in accordance with His pleasure and will…” Adopting us brings Him pleasure and is in accordance with His will. Each of us is important enough to bring Him pleasure and be in His will. Each of us is a part of God’s plan! We are accepted, loved and pleasing to the King, the Lord Jesus Christ. He wants you to be a part of His will.
Vs.6 “…to the praise of His glorious grace, which He freely gives us in the One he loves.” Our part in His will (as if being in His will wasn’t enough) brings Him praise- just being and choosing Him, brings Him praise. Not what we do, what we have to offer, just choosing Him and being in His will. That is amazing! Think on this for a moment….when was the last time someone appreciated you choosing him or her? When was the last time you were valued for just being and not doing?
God knew before He created the world, which ones would choose Him and follow Him. He has been waiting, like an expectant Father, for the one who would say, “Yes”. He knew your name, who you would be and what you would look like. He waited thousands of years to die for you and than waited almost 2,000 more years to have you in His family. He did this knowing how many times you would fall short. He loved each of you enough to wait anyway and loves you despite your shortcomings. Wow!
He loves you more than you will ever know.
* Romans 10:9 “That if you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.”
Thursday, September 16, 2010
Where do you stand? Where do you live?
Psalm 84:10
“Better is one day in your courts
than a thousand elsewhere;
I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God
than dwell in the tents of the wicked.”
It’s easy to say that we’d rather be a doorkeeper in the house of God rather than dwell in the house of the wicked but during our day, week, month and year where do we spend more time? Are we filling our time with things from God and for God or evil? Do we really take the time to distinguish what is truly wicked/evil in our lives?
My immediate thought is that anything against God and His desires could be classified as evil. And maybe even that which keeps us from doing what God would want is evil. I know that can be described as extreme or too black and white but think about it. If your sports activities, volunteer time, work, “good” book reading time, “good” TV time, vacationing…keeps you/me from spending time with Jesus in relationship and friendship, it is not for God, therefore, it is against God and ‘evil.’ (Luke 11:23)
Just a thought…
I know in my own life Jesus is causing me to look more carefully at my life. I want true intimacy with Jesus and I pray for this. But I have to look at what in my life is getting in the way of this. I can want something and pray for something for a very long time but what am I willing to do to move towards that intimacy? I also need to pray for the eyes to see through the “good” things and see what is truly getting in the way of the intimacy I desire. There was a phrase I used to use to evaluate decisions and give advice to others I was holding accountable: “Is it a good thing or a God thing?” So many times the “good” things get in the way of what Jesus really wants for us and what we really want from Him and with Him.
I am reminded of a theme verse from a retreat I attended
James 4:8a (NASB) “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you…”
“Better is one day in your courts
than a thousand elsewhere;
I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God
than dwell in the tents of the wicked.”
It’s easy to say that we’d rather be a doorkeeper in the house of God rather than dwell in the house of the wicked but during our day, week, month and year where do we spend more time? Are we filling our time with things from God and for God or evil? Do we really take the time to distinguish what is truly wicked/evil in our lives?
My immediate thought is that anything against God and His desires could be classified as evil. And maybe even that which keeps us from doing what God would want is evil. I know that can be described as extreme or too black and white but think about it. If your sports activities, volunteer time, work, “good” book reading time, “good” TV time, vacationing…keeps you/me from spending time with Jesus in relationship and friendship, it is not for God, therefore, it is against God and ‘evil.’ (Luke 11:23)
Just a thought…
I know in my own life Jesus is causing me to look more carefully at my life. I want true intimacy with Jesus and I pray for this. But I have to look at what in my life is getting in the way of this. I can want something and pray for something for a very long time but what am I willing to do to move towards that intimacy? I also need to pray for the eyes to see through the “good” things and see what is truly getting in the way of the intimacy I desire. There was a phrase I used to use to evaluate decisions and give advice to others I was holding accountable: “Is it a good thing or a God thing?” So many times the “good” things get in the way of what Jesus really wants for us and what we really want from Him and with Him.
I am reminded of a theme verse from a retreat I attended
James 4:8a (NASB) “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you…”
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