Monday, October 31, 2011

114. He Has A Secret Weapon

1 Corinthians 12:27


In order to end World War II, the United States developed, built and deployed the first atomic bombs. They poured all their resources, energy, science and inginuity into a secret weapon that changed the world forever. I actually live in the little city that engineered the two atomic bombs that ended WWII. Thing is, it wasn’t just the bomb that was a secret, but the whole city! Oak Ridge was just a collection of farms in the hills of East Tennessee until the Marine Corps of Engineers swooped in and constructed a hidden town in a matter of weeks and then shipped in a work force of 75,000 people to make the weapon that ended the war. It was called “The Secret City” and they were really serious about keeping the secret! The army posted guards at every entrance to the little town and built the roads to be like a confusing maze. Everyone who lived there had to wear identity badges and they all had to keep their lives a secret because the hopes of the world were in the hands of those scientists and workers who developed the secret weapon. Did you know Jesus has a secret weapon? Jesus has a battle to fight and the fate of the universe hangs in the balance. In the midst of the fight, He’s pouring His time, energy, power and wisdom into a weapon that will change the tide. That weapon is you. You are Jesus’ hands and feet, eyes and ears. You are the body of Christ, and you may think no one sees or cares about your life, but that is because Jesus is quietly and secretly developing you into the weapon that will change the world forever.

Saturday, October 29, 2011

113. He's Down There

Deuteronomy 33:27


Man, I hate the way it feels to sin again. You know what I mean, right? You made up your mind you would never do that thing again, whatever it was. You went off again. You said that thing again. You looked at that garbage again. You went there with that guy again. You lost control again. You absolutely hated the way it felt to do it last time and you decided and resolved and prayed and cried and then BAM! It happened again. I hate that feeling. And now you’re back there at square one again. Now you’re down there, at what feels like the bottom of a deep well. Now you’re down there with the dregs, and who in the world would want you? Certainly not Jesus, right? I mean, He’s got to be over it by now, right? Jesus is probably completely sick of this crap, right? Well, no. That’s not quite right. I know it feels that way. I know it feels like you’ve gone too far this time and Jesus won’t want to have anything to do with you now. I know it feels like you’re so far down there that He could never delve that low or sink so deep, but guess what? He’s already there. That’s right. Jesus is already down there with you, down in the muck and mire of your deepest, darkest sin. One of my all-time favorite verses in the whole Bible is Deuteronomy 33:27 which says, “The Eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms.” In other words, Jesus is always down there. See, you can’t out-dive His depth of grace, because how ever far down you’ve gone, He’s underneath, ready to pick you up.

Sunday, October 23, 2011

112. He's Getting Rid Of Evil

1 John 3:8


Sometimes, all folks can think about is their own sinfulness. They obsess on it, they hate themselves for it, they torture themselves about the fact that they keep messing up so much that it’s really the only dynamic in their spiritual life. I mean, a life with Jesus in it is supposed to be filled with all kinds of joy and peace, and yet for some folks, their life is nothing but a compulsion on their own personal wickedness. Whoa. Now, don’t get me wrong, we’re all messed up. Every single person has a heart just as dark as it can be, filled with all kinds of evil thoughts, petty jealousies, rage, hate, lust and selfishness. and most of us have acted on all those feelings (and more) plenty of times. We know we’re a mess, but a life with Jesus in it is supposed to change everything! Knowing Jesus is supposed to give us a whole new perspective and obsession. Yes, human beings rebelled against God and yes, we’re part of that seditious lot, but we’re the way we are because of someone else... Satan. That’s right. He started this whole thing, and here’s the deal: The reason Jesus came here was to destroy the works of Satan, period. That means that Jesus doesn’t just forgive and forget our sin. In the end, all evil will wind up so eradicated, it will be like Satan and sin never even existed. All of the evil that ever was will be like the time when you were three years old and you tripped and busted your lip. I mean, it happened, but who remembers it, or still hurts from it? That’s what Jesus is going to do with evil.

Saturday, October 22, 2011

111. He Doesn't Put You On Parole

Luke 15:22-24


Don’t you hate it when people forgive you, but only sort of forgive you? You know, you do something to hurt someone and you have a big fight, and then after the hostilities end, they say you’re forgiven, but you can tell they’re not over it. You can still feel that tension between you and as soon as anything else happens, they just start bringing up all that old stuff again. Even years later, they bring up that old stuff as a way to remind you that you still owe them something. It’s like the wound is still throbbing and you know it’s your fault, so they get to use that hurt as a way to punish you. It’s like being on parole... you know, you did something wrong, served some time but then got let out by the mercy of the court, so long as you behave. When a person gets put on parole, the understanding is that you have to keep walking straight or else you will wind up right back where you were for that old crime just as much as the new crime. In other words, they’re watching you. You’re sort-of forgiven, as long as you don’t violate parole. Dang, forgiveness like that sucks. And to be honest, it’s probably worse than whatever you did to that person in the first place. Here’s the thing: Jesus doesn’t forgive like that. Jesus doesn’t sort-of forgive you. When He forgives, it’s forever! He doesn’t put you on parole, just waiting on you to step out of line. When the prodigal son came home, there was no parole, just a party! That’s the only kind of forgiveness that can truly set a heart free.

Tuesday, October 18, 2011

110. He Cares About How You Feel

John 2:7-9


Are there people in your life who never take your feelings into account? Maybe you have a boss or a coach or even a friend or parent who does whatever they’re going to do however they want to do it, without ever stopping to consider how it might affect you. Don’t you wish that they would ask you how you feel, or at least took just a second to think about how you might be impacted? Here’s the thing: Jesus isn’t like them. Jesus is selfless and filled with the kind of love that always considers how other people will be affected. For example, one time Jesus was at a wedding where the wine had run out. He performed His first miracle and saved the day by turning some water into the finest wine anyone had ever tasted, but the story doesn’t end there. You see, when you read the account, you find out that Jesus worked this miracle in the back room with only a few people watching. Now, that’s really interesting because Jesus did plenty of public miracles. It’s not that He had a problem displaying His power in front of crowds. On two separate occasions, He multiplied food for thousands of people with their eyes on Him! He once raised a young man from the dead in the middle of the dude’s funeral procession in the center of the town! He could have rolled up His sleeves at this wedding and blown everyone’s mind, but He didn’t. He turned water into wine in private because the wedding day belongs to the bride and groom. This was their special day. Jesus loves you like that and when He works, He always thinks about your heart.

Sunday, October 16, 2011

109. He Won't Reject You

Luke 19:9-10


Have you ever been rejected? Do you know how it feels to get un-picked? Rejection stings so much. Being rejected hurts in a way that other things don’t because when someone rejects you, it means that in some way, you’re not allowed to be you. Rejection is a hurt that feels permanent, because it’s all wrapped up in your personality, and dang - you are you who are, right? Way back in Jesus’ day, there was a man everyone hated named Zacchaeus. Everyone hated Zacchaeus because he was a tax collector, which meant that he was working for the Romans - (the oppressive foreign government that had taken over his society) Zacchaeus was basically exploiting his own people to get rich. In other words, this guy was the lowest kind of traitor there was. Who wouldn’t hate a guy like that, right? Well, we find out that he was short, which may not seem like that big of a deal to you (unless you’re short). You see, Zacchaeus had probably had a life filled with rejection. He was never picked for pick-up basketball games, never got to date the kinds of girls that the tall, athletic guys got to date. What if Zacchaeus had so much hurt from being rejected his whole life that he went into business with the Romans simply because they would take him? People are the way they are for a reason, after all. Here’s the deal, though: Jesus walked into Zacchaeus’ town, sought him out and became friends with him, despite his past. Jesus didn’t reject him, but loved him. He’s looking for you too - coming to your town to find you, accept you and change you and He will never, ever reject you.

Monday, October 10, 2011

108. He Hangs Out With Sinners

Luke 15:2


People have never understood Jesus. Even the religious people (who should have understood Him) didn’t. Actually, religious people sometimes seem to understand Jesus even less than other folks. Dang, even people who believe in Jesus and raise their kids to believe in Jesus don’t always have a clue of who He really is and how His heart works. Here’s a quick example of what I’m talking about: Sometimes people will do every single thing in their power to shelter their children from the world because they want them to grow up to be ‘good Christian’ kids. They protect them from the media, they protect them from the schools, they protect them from the society so that the “liberal agenda of godless people” doesn’t infect them, and the idea is to keep the kid pure and untainted so that they’ll be ‘good Christian’ kids. Bless their hearts, these folks mean well, but there is a fundamental misunderstanding of something extremely important going on here, and it is this: There are no ‘good Christian’ people. You can’t protect a person from sin. Every single person (bar none) has a sinful heart pumping oxygenated blood to their sinful minds. We are all filthy, broken, helpless sinners. Avoiding sin is a pointless endeavor. We don’t need to be sheltered. We just need Jesus. You can’t protect a person from sin, because trust me, they will find a way to sin. Just tell them about the One who received, accepted, hung out with and loved sinners. Oh, Hallelujah! This is the best news ever! Jesus didn’t ostracize sinners! Jesus didn’t protect Himself or His ministry from sinners! He loved sinners. He liked them. He hung out with them! Jesus is a friend of sinners.

Tuesday, October 4, 2011

107. He Has People You Don't Know Yet

Mark 11:3


Do you ever feel like you’re the only Christian you know? You ever feel like no one in your school or at your work or in your circle of friends loves Jesus and wants a life with Him, so when it comes to the most important thing in your life, you’re all alone? Here’s the thing: walking with Jesus can be a bewilderingly isolating life sometimes because it’s not just a system of beliefs, but a whole life change. In other words, it’s a way to live and it’s also a whole new you in the making. As a result, the changes you make in your own walk with the Lord can be so vast and drastic that it can sometimes feel as if you’re the only one making them. It’s easy to look around at all the self-centered worldliness and worthless frivolity in the people around you and feel like, “Dang! I’m the only person who cares about God in this whole place!” Well, even though it may feel that way sometimes, it’s not true. Jesus has people who love Him right there in your town. They are walking around your school and clocking into your work place. One time Jesus told his disciples to go into Jerusalem and fetch a donkey from some people they didn’t know. The disciples thought they knew everybody, but it turns out that Jesus already had people in that city, on His team, ready to go. Jesus has people around you who wake up in the morning, get on their knees and beg Him to get them through that day. These folks are just waiting to meet you and be your best friend. Ask Him to bring them into your life.

Saturday, October 1, 2011

106. He Brings Springtime To Hard, Cold Hearts

Isaiah 61:11


When you’re in the middle of a hard time, it feels like you’ll never be cheerful again. It feels like you’ll always be heavy-hearted and downcast. Sometimes when you’re feeling cold and empty, you simply can’t find your way out of it. You don’t feel like praying and you don’t feel like singing and you don’t want to read the Scriptures because, well, you’ve read it all before! It’s not going to give you something new, because they haven’t changed that book at all since you started reading it! It’s like driving your car around in the cold, winter months... the sky is gray, the ground is hard and the wind is harsh. Everything looks the same and it feels like nothing will ever change, until one day, it does. One day, out of nowhere, you’re driving those same streets, only you see little sprigs of green coming out of the ground that’s been barren for months. A couple of days after that, and you see them... blooms! Daffodils and tulips, right there where there was just cold, hard ground before! Flowers appear out of nowhere, and yet, they appear right where they were this time last year and right where they were planted years ago. Isaiah 61 says, “As the soil makes the sprout come up and a garden causes seed to grow, so the Sovereign Lord will make righteousness and praise spring up before all nations.” You see, Jesus can bring something fresh and new to even the most wintry heart. He is alive, and His word is not like any other normal book. The words are alive. Go to those old, familiar passages again and ask Him to bring springtime to your heart.