ACCEPTING THE GIFT OF LOVE

So, God wants to give us this gift, but we can only receive it by placing our faith in Him, and He is not asking us for anything in return.

Doing something for you, bringing something to you - 

that’s not what you’re after.

Psalm 40:6 (The Message)

Imagine I give you a lovely painting for a gift, but you say, “No thanks, please take it out of here.” My gift is still a gift, even if you refuse to receive it. Or, imagine I give you a book for a gift and you say, “Thanks,” then you immediately put my gift on a shelf with all your other unread books.

I imagine this is how God feels most days. He wants to give us the most precious gift of all time - - in fact, He has already given us this gift. We just have to receive it. But instead we say, “Thanks, that’s very nice of you. Just put it over there with all my other unwanted and unappreciated gifts.” 

The gift of salvation belongs to everyone. We just have to take it, to receive it. And we receive it by believing in Him.

What does that mean, believing in Him? 

If I have worn the heavy boots of sin all my life, am I suddenly expected to say in one moment that I believe everything the Bible says about God, even though I haven’t read it?

God says we must believe IN HIM to receive the gift of salvation.  The moment we accept Christ into our lives, the moment we confess our sin and turn away from it, when we ask God’s forgiveness for living wrongly, we receive the gift of God’s Love into our lives. In that moment we believe in Him. We can say, “Thank you God for this wonderful one-of-a-kind gift. It is very special and I will treasure it. Every time I look at it (read the Bible, gaze at a beautiful sunset, encounter some unexpected kindness) I will think about You and give thanks for it (say a little prayer to you).”  

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

1 John 1:9

THE GIFT OF LOVE

Imagine a person who you love dearly.

Now, imagine that I walk up to you and I say, "If you give me [that person who you love dearly] I will give you “a whole and lasting life.” (For the purpose of our imagining I can do that.) Would you make that exchange? 

If we could imagine for a moment how difficult it would be to let go of someone who we love dearly, even for the promise of something extremely special in return, we might come close to realizing just how much the gift of God’s Love means.

God gave his Son. He gave his Son. God gave his Son as a gift. A free gift. No repayment. No cost to us. Nothing required in return.

That’s Love. 

Simply put, love is a gift. 

It does not expect or demand anything in return.

For God so loved the world, that he GAVE [as in A GIFT] his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

John 3:16 (square brackets added)

THIS IS LOVE

I wonder how many people refuse the gift of salvation because they just can’t grasp the vastness of God? 

I wonder how many people walk away from the chance to have real everlasting joy in their lives because the concept of some ‘invisible being’ is just too much for them to grapple with? 

I wonder how many people miss out on the most satisfying relationship of their lives because they cannot imagine someone loving them in spite of all their failures and mistakes - - the ones they have already made, and the ones they will make again and again for the rest of their lives?

This is how much God loved the world: He gave his Son, his one and only Son. And this is why: so that no one need be destroyed; by believing in him, anyone can have a whole and lasting life.

John 3:16 (The Message)

PRACTICING FAITH

Wouldn’t it be great if once we accepted Christ as our Savior we could just go about our days and never ever have to worry about a single thing ever again? If that were so, I am certain that people would line up to get saved. 

Repentance and forgiveness are just the beginning of a lifetime committed to doing God's work.

There are Christians who never profess their faith. I use to be one of them. I used to think that it was enough that others could look at me and see my niceness; they didn’t need to know my religious beliefs. Of course, if those same people encountered me on a bad day, they might question my Christian values (and my niceness).

I will never be a charismatic Christian. That is not my nature. However, I am aware that it is hypocritical to call myself a Christian and never know what that really means in my own life, much less share it with someone else. 

While faith is sufficient to be saved, the Bible tells us that to grow as Christians our faith must be accompanied by works. 

Believing in God is one thing; serving God is another. We must practice our faith.

For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also faith apart from works is dead. 

(James 2:26) 

Our service to God is essential: it is the breath that sustains our faith. Our faith is complete when we put God’s commands into action. 

THE POWER OF PRAYER

When I read the Scripture, I am inspired by God’s Word. I want to be that good person that God exhorts me to be. I want to be loving and kind to others. I want to be patient and tender-hearted. I want to bless others with my words and grow in wisdom. I want to be merciful and forgiving toward those who do me wrong. I want to be generous with my time and money for building the Kingdom of God. 

But no sooner am I resolved to be the best person that I can be for God’s purpose, than I am faced with some temptation, and my weakness is exposed, my will shattered. 

We all have those days when everything is going great, then someone says the exact wrong thing to us, in the exact wrong tone of voice, at the exact wrong time. All the good intention in the world is not enough to overcome habitual ways of reacting to certain situations. To change our hard-wired reactions to certain situations we need to change our perspective, and that can only be achieved through the power of honest prayer. 

Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and he will draw near to you.

(James 4: 7-8) 

TO START ALL OVER AGAIN

And now, here’s what I’m going to do:

    I’m going to start all over again,

I’m taking her back out into the wilderness

    where we had our first date, and I’ll court her.

I’ll give her bouquets of roses.

    I’ll turn Heartbreak Alley into Acres of Hope.

She’ll respond like she did as a young girl,

    those days when she was fresh out of Egypt.

Hosea 2:14-15 (The Message)

FOR MY OWN GOOD

I wonder how I would have reacted if I had been a disciple when Jesus broke the news that he was going to leave and return to the Father, but that he would return “in a little while” (John 16:16)? I’m embarrassed to admit that I probably would have made a scene. I probably would have grabbed onto Jesus’ garment hem and begged him not to leave. I would have sobbed hysterically and told him how much I would miss him in his absence, and that I couldn’t possibly live without him for any length of time. I would have pleaded with him to hurry back because my only comfort would be in looking forward to the day that I would see his face again.

Jesus came to earth to save us.

He died on the cross for our sins. 

He rose from the grave that we might have eternal life. 

And he promises that he will come back for his own (John 14: 28). 

Sometimes we focus so much on what Christ has done and what he will do, that we miss what he is doing right now in our lives, and in the world around us. Christ is not absent until he returns. We are not “orphans.” 

God promises to be with his children in the form of the Holy Spirit until He comes again. What a comfort, what peace! What an opportunity to learn!

If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him and we will come to him and make our home with him....All this I have spoken while still with you. But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. (vv. 23,25)

PEACE NOT OF THIS WORLD

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you.

I do not give to you as the world gives. 

Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. 

John 14:27

REJOICE IN THE LORD ALWAYS

Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: REJOICE!

Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near.

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, and thanksgiving, present your request to God.

And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Colossians 4: 4 (NIV)

God is great, even when life is not good.

THE WAY YOU LIVE

“The way you live reflects your view of God.”

from Life’s Little Handbook of Wisdom

THE ART OF WAITING

They who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength..

Isaiah 40: 31

“Sit still, my daughter! Just sit calmly still!

What higher service could you for Him fill?

It’s hard! ah yes! But choicest things must cost!

For lack of losing all how much is lost!

It’s hard, it’s true! But then - - he gives you grace

To count the hardest spot the sweetest place.”

J. Danson Smith (excerpt)

FILL MY CUP, LORD

Have you ever watched a waiter in a restaurant pour water from an oversized pitcher, or fill a tall crystal flute with sparkling champagne? There is a certain skill to pouring. What could be a very messy activity is elevated to the level of performance art in many restaurants. Beer froths right at the rim of a glass without cresting its edges, wine droplets cling to the lip of a tilted bottle without spilling, condensation drips obediently down the side of a towel-wrapped water jug. 

So, what is the secret to pouring? It is very simple: the vessel being filled must be aligned with the vessel that’s pouring.

If I want to fill my glass at the kitchen tap, I must hold it under the running water.

If I want the Spirit of God to fill my life, I must align myself with my Savior.  

“Like the woman at the well I was seeking,

For things that could not satisfy;

But then I heard my Savior speaking:

“Draw from the well that never shall run dry.”

Fill my cup Lord, I lift it up, Lord!

Come and quench this thirsting of my soul;

Bread of Heaven, Feed me till I want no more--

Fill my cup, fill it up and make me whole!”

Richard Eugene Blanchard, Sr.

MEET GOD EVERY DAY

I don’t know many people who are busier than the current President of the United States, Barack Obama, so I was encouraged to learn yesterday about Mr. Obama’s ritual of spending time each day with God in prayer. 

The President sets a good example for us all. 

In Psalm 46, we are reminded that even while the world is falling apart, when mountains quake and the tumultuous sea rises up and batters the earth, when nations tear each other apart with war, God stands like a fortress of peace in the chaos. He is “our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble” (verse 1). 

Ever present. God never leaves us. We leave Him. That is why it is so important to have a plan to spend time with Him every day. Make it a ritual. In the busy-ness of our lives, sometimes we don’t even realize how far we have wandered from God, until we are completely lost. We get busy. Then we get too busy. Too busy to read the Bible. Too busy to pray. Too busy to say thanks. Too busy to go to bible study. Too busy to go to church. Too busy to spend time with our family. Too busy to take a vacation. 

The only thing that we have time for is busy-ness.

Busy-ness and death.

Psalm 46:10 says, “Be still, and know that I am God.”

God being God, He could have given us any command for knowing Him. He could have said, “Do jumping-jacks, and know that I am God.” He could have said, “Party on, and know that I am God.” And while I’m sure that God can be found in the most obscure of experiences, we can only KNOW God in STILLNESS. 

Be STILL, and KNOW that I am God.

WALKING IN THE SHADOW

In photography, the most important element of any image is light. The amount of light a photographer permits to pass through a camera lens determines what is revealed in an image. Very selectively, a photographer adjusts the aperture of a lens to control the amount of light that is allowed to pass through. If a camera lens is completely open in bright light, the exposure would be completely white, or ‘invisible’. It is the contrast of shadow and light that produces the image. In order to expose an image, there must be shadow, or areas of the composition that absorb light. This contrast of light and shadow exposes even the most intricate detail of an image. 

So it is with my life. God promises (in Psalm 199:105) to be “a lamp to my feet and a light to my path” (ESV). He doesn’t promise to be a mega-amped spotlight. He promises to be a lamp light. So instead of the harsh over-exposure of a high-powered beam, God offers the soft focus of a flickering flame. He reveals detail in the shadow as well as in the light. As I walk in the “shadow of his hand” (Isaiah 49:2), I am reminded that life is most beautiful and most revealing when I take the time to appreciate its contrasts.