Why isn’t the church in America today on a winning streak? It is probably because we have lost our focus on the fundamentals of our faith. Listen to the following podcast, “We Believe….In God the Father Almighty” (May 6, 2018), as Pastor Cliff Purcell begins a new series on the beliefs that are crucial to every Christian: http://firstnaz.com/media.
Trust God from the bottom of your heart; don’t try to figure out everything on your own. Listen for God’s voice in everything you do, everywhere you go; He’s the one who will keep you on track.” -Proverbs 3:5-6 (MSG)
I love variety, but in a somewhat structured and predictable kind of way. 🙂 But as you know, life doesn’t always offer structure, let alone predictability. I’m not trying to sound pessimistic, but one never knows when a curve ball is coming his/her way. As I tell my kids: One thing you can always count on is change. And, although it’s important to plan, there will be times when things don’t pan out the way you plan. That can be unsettling for anyone, but especially for us planner types.
While sitting in the dentist chair the other day, my hygienist confirmed just how random life can be. Knowing that my Senior is about to graduate, she asked what career he wants to pursue. She then told me of her plans to become either a Kindergarten teacher or a zoo owner. Neither of these aspirations transpired for her. After a series of mistakes, she found herself pursing an associate degree in Dental Hygiene. While all I could utter was, “uh, uh” and “hmm”, memories of my own random life happenings—along with other people’s stories—swam through my mind.
The next morning, God reordered my “random” thinking by bringing the following devotional to my attention.
(Jesus Calling, By Sarah Young)
God reminds me: There may be detours and times of questioning, but He sets the course for His children. As a loving Father, we can trust that He alone knows the best plan(s) and methods to mold us more into His image.
Continuing on the person of The Holy Spirit, I found Bill Sweeney’s post, “God Has Friends In Low Places”, interesting and insightful. If you haven’t visited Bill’s blog, Unshakable Hope, I encourage you to do so. Bill, who found himself paralyzed from ALS, has been a huge inspiration of having hope in spite of difficult trials. He is able to write by using a computer that tracks his eye movements.
The other day I was sitting out in the backyard listening to an audio book and getting a much-needed dose of vitamin D. Two Mockingbirds were darting back and forth just feet in front of me and were making so much noise that it was becoming difficult to hear my audio book. I knew that they had a nearby nest and were only trying to protect their young from a potential threat (apparently Mockingbirds don’t understand that paralyzed people in a wheelchair don’t pose a threat).
Then I saw two beautiful Bluebirds sitting in a nearby live oak tree just minding their
own business. Like me, they seemed to be doing their best to ignore the noise and the antics of the paranoid Mockingbirds. Every five minutes or so, one of the Bluebirds would fly over and land on the roof of a dilapidated birdhouse that Mary’s been meaning to…
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God’s gift to believers
Jesus spoke these words the night before his betrayal at the Last Supper. Jesus anticipated returning to His Father in Heaven, but He would not leave His followers helpless and alone. Like Jesus, the Holy Spirit would be with them—giving them comfort, guidance, and strength. But instead of being with them physically as Jesus was, the Holy Spirit would reside in them (See also 1 Corinthians 3:16). I think this is one of God’s greatest (and mysterious) miracles: giving us new life through the baptism of His Holy Spirit—spiritual birth (John 3:3-8).
When we understand that Christ died in our place for our sins, rose from the grave, and we place our complete trust in Him for salvation—the Holy Spirit comes and indwells the believer.
Believers can be secure in their salvation. We are sealed by Christ through the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 1:13-14). Jesus, who is stronger than the grips of death, is our Sealer. His seal is the Holy Spirit, “given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God’s own possession, to the praise of His glory.”
Believers are chosen [in Christ] before the foundation of the world (Ephesians 1:4-6). Why? Paul says: to create a family of people who are passionate for God’s honor and glory (Ephesians 1:10-12). This is made possible through the Holy Spirit.
God’s children now have direct access to Him because Jesus has made us acceptable in His sight (unlike the Old Testament era when people could only approach God through priests, operating under the old sacrificial system, Hebrews 10:19-23).
The Holy Spirit plays an active role in the believer’s life by:
Have you been sealed with the Holy Spirit by placing your complete trust in Christ?
Is it possible to grieve the Holy Spirit? How?
How can believers cooperate with the Holy Spirit and glorify God?
Christ died for our sins. . . He was buried. . . He was raised on the third day, according to the Scriptures . . . He appeared to Peter, then to the twelve. After that He appeared to more than five hundred . . .” -1 Corinthians 15:3-6
As a child, and admittedly throughout my adult years, watching the reenactment of Jesus’ trial and crucifixion raises questions. Why did Jesus have to go through the fire of betrayal and agonizing suffering? Out of all the people, why Jesus? Although I know the answer, it’s still difficult sometimes to wrap the depths of God’s love for us—for me—around one’s heart and head. That Jesus willingly endured such shame and torture and then died in my place leaves me in awe (see Heb. 12:2).
We have all failed to obey God’s laws and are guilty of doing wrong (Rom. 3:23). Because of this, we have been separated from the holy God. The penalty of our sin is death (Rom. 6:23). We can do nothing by ourselves to be united with God. His offer of salvation and fellowship is a free gift that we receive in Christ through faith: “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 that no one should boast,” (Eph. 2:8-9).
“I am the Gate. Anyone who goes through me will be cared for—will freely go in and out, and find pasture. A thief is only there to steal and kill and destroy. I came so they can have real and eternal life, more and better life than they ever dreamed of.” -John 10:7-10 (MSG)
That Jesus is the only way to God is probably Christianity’s most controversial claim. It would be absurd for Christians to stand on this premise if Jesus didn’t claim it Himself. If the Gospels are historically reliable—which there is abundant evidence they are—then we have Jesus’ words: “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me,” (Jn. 14:6). As unpopular as this statement may be for some, there really isn’t wiggle room for debate. Jesus goes on further and states: “Whoever rejects You (God the Father) rejects Me. And whoever rejects Me, rejects the One who sent Me,” (Lk. 10:16). Jesus clarifies: There is no other path to God. “If you do not believe that I am He, you will die in your sins,” (Jn. 8:24). So if we want to follow Christ, we must accept what He said about Himself.
How is Jesus different from other religious figures? While no other major world religious founder claimed to be God, Jesus affirmed this claim (Mk. 14:61-64; Jn. 10:30-34). What would be the evidence to prove He is God? The confirmation, Jesus said, would be His resurrection from the dead (Mt. 12:38-42; Mk. 14:28). Jesus provided the ultimate evidence for His unique claims.
Jesus—God’s unique Son—was more than just a man. Because He never sinned, He alone can bridge the gap between sinful mankind and the sinless God. When Jesus freely offered His life for us by dying on the cross in our place, He took all of our wrongs (past, present and future) upon Himself and in exchange offers us His righteousness (2 Cor. 5:21). In so doing, He made a way to save us from the consequences of our sin, which includes God’s judgment and death (Rom. 5:8-10). Jesus’ resurrection from the dead is proof that His substitutionary sacrifice was acceptable to God. We celebrate His resurrection—especially on Easter—because it is the source of new life for all who believe that He is God’s Son (Jn. 3:16).
What evidence is there of Jesus’ resurrection?
Salvation is not dependent upon our emotions, nor does it stand alone on intellectual agreement. Receiving Christ is as an act of the will through faith. Repentance involves removing self from the throne to placing God on the throne of one’s life. Like receiving and unwrapping a gift, we must act to receive Christ as Lord and Savior. It’s an individual choice. “As many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name,” (Jn. 1:12). Only then can we know and experience God’s love and purpose for our lives.
For forgiveness of sin and to enter a relationship with God, we must acknowledge our sin and confess Jesus is Lord (Rom. 10:8-10). When we receive Christ, we experience a new spiritual birth (John 3:1-8) and live in union with Him.
Jeremiah 29:13
The following prayer is an example. However, God isn’t as concerned about words as He is with the attitude of the heart: “Lord Jesus, thank you for dying on the cross in my place. Please cleanse me of my sin and come into my life as my Lord and Savior. Thank you for giving me eternal life and forgiving my sins. Help me to be the person you desire.”
I would love to hear from you if you took this step of faith. Wishing you a wonderful Easter!
kdmanestreet 