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Christmas Confidence (Hope)

Dec 8, 2021

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope. – Romans 15:13

It is easy to lose hope when we lose a loved one, lose a job, lose a battle, lose control, lose our health or lose our way, but there is a sure and steadfast hope that is ours when we need it most if we believe. This hope isn’t some self-created positive attitude that things will turn out the way you envision in your head; it is a Spirit-produced confidence in the faithfulness of Jesus to keep His promises that is settled in your heart.  He has been with you all along.  He is with you even now.  He will be with you always.  Your hope isn’t in your ability to figure out how to make it work out; your hope is confidence that He already has. And though things aren’t yet perfect, the day is coming when they will be.

Our Salvation And Everything It Includes

Dec 7, 2021

We know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ … if righteousness were through the law, then Christ died for no purpose. – Galatians 2:16a, 21b

God demands that we be perfect in order to go to heaven, declares that none of us are perfect and therefore are condemned to hell, and then delivers us by sending Jesus to take our imperfections and be our perfection so we can have everlasting life.  Here’s what won’t get you into heaven: your effort at trying to be good enough.  Here’s what will get you into heaven: Jesus. God didn’t lower His standards for us; He lowered His Son for us.   And that changes everything for those who are trusting in Him!  We were… Lost, but now found.  Bankrupt, but now rich.  Condemned, but now pardoned.  Enslaved, but now free.  Dead, but now alive.   Our salvation and everything it includes comes not from the sweat of our brows, but because of the thorns on His.

For Your Sake

Dec 6, 2021

For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich. – 2 Corinthians 8:9

It is a riches to rags story.  Jesus willingly exchanged all the wealth of His deity for the poverty of His humanity when He took on flesh and came to dwell on earth.  Why?  For. Your. Sake. You couldn’t live up to God’s standards, so Jesus lived perfectly for you.  You couldn’t break free from sin, so He set you free.  You couldn’t atone for your transgressions, so Jesus died in your place.  You couldn’t defeat death, so He conquered the grave so you too will rise. You couldn’t earn an eternal retirement, so He paid for your inheritance.  You have become rich in blessings and benefits through the finished work of Jesus.  And long before it was finished at Calvary, it was started in Bethlehem.  For your sake.

He’s The Gift That Keeps On Giving

Dec 5, 2021

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life. – John 3:16

When was the last time you thought about eternity and what it would be like to perish forever?  When was the last time you rejoiced that you have a completely different eternity awaiting because God gave His Son? When was the last time you contemplated the implications of receiving this gift? Everything bad is turned around and traded in for good when we trust in Jesus!  Because in Jesus we are given a countless list of blessings with each entry having sub-lists of countless more benefits that we enjoy now in part and will enjoy fully throughout eternity. Rejoice today in God’s Son.  He’s the Gift that keeps on giving.

Reminding Ourselves Of The Good News

Dec 4, 2021

And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. – Luke 2:10-11

The bad news that is plastered all over the social media and news media stories will leave us disturbed and discouraged if we don’t remind ourselves of the good news of the Greatest Story Ever Told.  Every day we must remember who Jesus is to us and what He does for us.  The more we trust in the message of joy that a Savior and Lord has arrived to rescue us from bad and rule over us for good, the more we will experience real joy in our hearts. Today, don’t fill your mind with the garbage of this world but rather fix your mind on the glorious good news of Jesus.  This will lead to great rejoicing for those who believe.

It’s Not About What We Have In Our Lives

Dec 3, 2021

And coming up at that very hour she (Anna) began to give thanks to God and to speak of him to all who were waiting for the redemption of Jerusalem. – Luke 2:38

Advent is a time of hopeful waiting.  The question is:  what are we waiting for?  Life will frequently leave us disappointed and dissatisfied if we are waiting for the right time when the right things have come and made us feel the right way.  So…  We wait.  And we wait.  And we wait our lives away. The reason we can’t find our lasting satisfaction in the people, pleasures and possessions of earth is because we were never meant to.  As we wait for the second coming of Jesus, let us look to Him to be for us and give to us what this world never can:  the gift of real contentedness.  It’s not about what we have in our lives; it’s about Who we have in our hearts.

Jesus Is The Reason

Dec 2, 2021

Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift! – 2 Corinthians 9:15

The sights and sounds and smells of Christmastime should cause us to pause and celebrate Christ.  As we see the glow of lights, let our own hearts be merry and bright because the Light of the world has come.  As we hear holiday music, let us smile because Jesus has put a new song in our hearts.  As we walk past the Salvation Army worker, let us remember that Jesus came to work for our salvation.  It’s all there: the WRAPPING of swaddling clothes, the TREE made into a cross, the GIFT of eternal life, the CHORUS of praise. Over and over, may every fleck of tinsel and every note of a carol and every morsel of a cookie direct our attention to the stunning wonder of it all:  Jesus is the reason for the season.

When We Could Not Get To God

Dec 1, 2021

All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel” (which means, God with us).  – Matthew 1:22-23

Our sin prevents nearness to God because it separates us from Him with no possible way from our side to get to Him.  This is why Jesus came to live, die and rise…  So you and I can draw near to God.  We who are trusting in Jesus for forgiveness of and freedom from sin need no longer be distant from real peace, real hope, real joy, real comfort, real security, real wisdom and real love because we are no longer distant from God Whose presence and provision give us these things. Let us look to Him for all of this, knowing this:  Our Immanuel made a way for us to get forgiven, get real life, get to heaven and get to God. When we could not get to Him, He came to us.

The Only Score That Matters

Nov 30, 2021

We’ve been conditioned our entire lives to keep our eyes on the scoreboard.  The metric may come as points in a game, likes on a social media post, balances in savings accounts, members of a network, or notches on whatever kind of belt you’re wearing.  However it is measured, the attitude is the same: the one with the best score wins.  But in God’s kingdom, it’s not about how we rank against others or how we are rated by others. Instead, it’s about depending on Jesus to faithfully use what we have been given to do what we have been assigned.  Today, let us remember that the only score which matters is the one in which Jesus wins in our lives.

His Wants Become Our Wants

Nov 29, 2021

If you do it out of duty, you’ll be resentful. If you do it for attention, you’ll be prideful.  If you do it just when it’s convenient, you’ll be neglectful. But… If you do it because of love, you’ll be joyful.  Obeying Jesus isn’t a matter of duty, show or convenience; it’s a matter of the heart.  Our affection for Him produces our devotion to Him.  We don’t say and do the right things because that’s the way we should live, but because that’s the way should love the One who tells us what things are right for us to say and do.  May grace continue to change how we feel about Him so that more and more His wants become our wants.

You Are In The Boat Together

Nov 28, 2021

Some storms build slowly.  Some storms develop quickly.  Some storms end quickly.  Some storms disappear slowly.  But… No matter how great or lasting the storm that arises in your life, Jesus rules in absolute control over when it rages and when it ceases. It doesn’t get in the way of His plan working out; it’s a way of working out His plan. Even storms serve His purposes for good! Listen… If you trust Jesus for eternal life, then trust Him during everyday life.  And if the storm doesn’t scare Him, it shouldn’t scare you either.  Why not?  Because you are in the boat together, and He’s already promised to get you to the other side.

Counting Correctly

Nov 27, 2021

Christians should count the various trials in our lives as joy. Not as defeat.  Not as pleasant.  Not as punishment.  Not as meaningless.  Not as insignificant.  Not as a reason to complain.  Not as a lack of God’s care.   Trials can be many things, but they cannot be joy-stealers unless we let them. While it may feel like trials are breaking you today, you can be sure that God is building you up through them in ways that are going to be amazingly good in the days to come.   Your faith muscle becoming stronger.  Your deliverance becoming sooner.  Your witness becoming louder.  Your homecoming becoming sweeter.   Yes, you have hardships; but you also have hope.

The Way To Happiness

Nov 26, 2021

It is defined in different ways.  It is pursued in different ways.  It is measured in different ways.  But what happiness has in common no matter how it is defined, pursued and measured is this:  every single human being wants it.  The message of the world is to “do what you want to do and be who you want to be” and this will make you happy.  Only it … Does. Not. Work.  The message of Jesus is “do what I want you to do and be who I made you to be.” In doing so, we will experience His joy, and our joy can be full no matter what else is happening in our lives.  Want to be happy?  His. Way. Works.

Let Us Offer Thanks For His Giving

Nov 25, 2021

We can be grateful for many things, and we should be.  We can be grateful to many people, and we should be.  We can be grateful on many occasions, and we should be.  But there is One who makes every good thing, every good person and every good occasion in our lives possible by His abundant and amazing grace.  God sent Jesus to be perfect for us because we aren’t, absorb wrath for sin so we don’t, and secure the blessings for us that we can’t.  Jesus paid our sin penalty and paid for our special privileges so that we might be forgiven, freed and favored. Today and every day, let us offer thanks for His giving.

The Sweetest Of All Thanksgiving

Nov 24, 2021

The sweetest of all thankfulness isn’t superficial; it goes deep.  It goes past feeling happy that certain things are in our lives.  It goes past naming those things so it is known that we appreciate them.  It goes past even tracing their origin back to God and thanking the Giver for all of our blessings.  There is a delightful, wonderful, beautiful experience when our gratitude is not merely directed toward God for His gifts, but toward God for Himself. The way to be best thankful for all that God has given us is to be most thankful for Him.

What You Will Discover

Nov 23, 2021

What you’ll discover about life with Jesus is this… The better you know Him, the longer you follow Him, and the greater you enjoy Him, the deeper you will experience all the blessings and benefits of God’s grace.  He will be honored in you and you will be happy in Him.  And that’s what grace is all about.  God and sinner reconciled so that… God receives the full and lasting worship He’s always deserved, and you receive the full and lasting happiness you’ve always wanted.  It starts now, grows over time, and will extend into eternity where it will explode into unhindered, unbridled, uninterrupted pleasure forevermore.

Following Jesus Is A Journey

Nov 22, 2021

Following Jesus is a journey.  Where do you go from here?  What is your next step?  Step one is to welcome Jesus into your life for Who He is:  Savior, Provider, Counselor, Leader, King, Treasure.  If you have never repented of your sinful life apart from Him and received the life that comes with Him, then by faith ask God for this right now.  If you really mean it in your heart, He will give it to you.  Step two onward is to grow in grace.  Step after step, you let Jesus be Who He is … for you.  You seek to know Him, follow Him and enjoy Him, letting His peace, hope and joy rule in your heart as He rules your life for your good.

Has He Started A Good Work In You?

Nov 21, 2021

Has God started a good work in you? How can you and I know that we have received God’s grace?  There are two really good indicators that your faith in Him is genuine:  you have a growing hatred for sin and a growing love for Jesus.  You don’t just want to be free from the consequences of sin, but sin itself.  You don’t just want to have the blessings of God, but God Himself.  There is a desire that begins growing inside of you to experience all that God has for you, in this world and the one to come.  You believe in Jesus for the first time, and then you believe in Him more fully over time.  We grow.  That’s how we know.

Relying On And Resting In Grace

Nov 20, 2021

We’re given… New identities.  New desires.  New lives.  New futures.  Christians have a faith in Jesus that is demonstrated by loving obedience, though imperfectly executed.  That means there is grace to help us get this right, and there is grace to help us when we get this wrong.  Our entire spiritual journey is one in which we rely on grace to take steps of faith in living as God intends for us, and in which we rest in that same grace when we take mis-steps knowing that God won’t give up on us.  Jesus is the Author and Finisher of our faith, and we can be sure of this:  God will finish what He starts in us.

Faith Is Saying Yes And No

Nov 19, 2021

Faith is saying “yes” to God’s grace by agreeing with Him that you’re a sinner who cannot do anything to make yourself good enough to be accepted by Him, and then by asking Him to begin a good work in you to increasingly change you into a radically new person that is acceptable to Him.  Faith is also saying “no” to our old lives of indifference and rebellion to God by turning away from them to Him.  We mean it when we say of our sin: “I did it.  I regret doing it.  Help me not to do it again.  Lead me to something better in you.”  When that happens… God doesn’t just give us different lives; He makes us into different people.