Wednesday, January 30, 2013

243. He Justified Us For Free



I don’t know about you, but one of the things that’s always held me back in my spiritual life is this nagging feeling that maybe there is a catch. Maybe there was some fine print I didn’t notice before clicking, “I have read the user agreement and I accept these terms.” Somewhere in the deepest place of my heart, I am afraid that I will find out that the ‘free gift of grace’ isn’t really free. I’m afraid that I’ll find out that all the sins I still do are building up a further debt and are going to disqualify me one day. I’m afraid that there’s a monthly fee I’m not paying that is accumulating interest somewhere. The thing is, if you have to earn this, I’m in trouble. I know myself enough to know that there’s no way I could do it! I can’t change myself and I can’t clean up my act enough to even meet my own standards, much less God’s! That’s why I’m thankful that the Bible says Jesus’ love, forgiveness, acceptance and righteousness is totally, completely and 100% free! In fact, that word “free” is used a bunch in the New Testament and it’s translated in different places as “without paying for it”, “for nothing”, “without cost” and “without cause”. In other words, Jesus justified us (declared us just as righteous as He is) without us having to do anything, earn anything, pay for anything or cause anything to happen. We are justified freely by His grace. When you truly know yourself and recognize how desperately you need Him, and you know beyond all doubt that you could never earn or pay for it, this Good News of totally free grace changes everything.

Sunday, January 27, 2013

242. He Did It



What if Jesus had changed His mind at the last minute? What if, instead of going through everything He suffered, He decided to skip it all and just go back to heaven? What if He told the Father, “That’s it! I can’t do it! The plan’s off...” Lately I’ve been reading through the Gospel of Luke, and as I read the last few chapters which recount our Lord’s suffering and death, one thing has struck me deeply: He really did it. It all really happened. Jesus didn’t have to do what He did. He didn’t have to endure all the humiliation and pain of the cross. Jesus is God. He could have stopped the show at any moment. Luke tells us that Jesus resolutely set His face toward Jerusalem and marched there on purpose because He was on a mission. As soon as the last Passover meal was served, the events that had been foretold for centuries began to unfold almost too quickly. Jesus found Himself abandoned, betrayed, tortured, mocked and then murdered in the most humiliating fashion imaginable. Jesus experienced what it would feel like to be separated from God forever. He endured all the shame, loneliness, confusion and desperation of the punishment we deserved. As I read about it, I couldn’t stop thinking, “What if He had bailed on the plan?” He could have. Jesus could have skipped all of it, because He didn’t deserve it, but we would be lost. He would be in heaven all by Himself, and that’s not what He wanted. Jesus could have changed His mind, but He didn’t. He went to the cross. He endured it all because as bad as that was, it was a million times better than eternity without you. 

Monday, January 21, 2013

241. He Wants Us To Be Ready



Are you tired of this world yet? Are you as ready as I am for this whole thing to be over? Doesn’t it seem like this place is getting meaner and more selfish all the time? Doesn’t it feel like there’s more tension, hatred and fighting than ever before? In some ways, it’s harder than it’s ever been to walk with the Lord. The world is dark, dangerous, unkind and filled with evil, but even so there’s good news. In the midst of a society in total spiritual decline, the good news is that Jesus said it would be like this. Jesus predicted (correctly) that this world’s problems would heat up while its love would cool down. He said that violent self interest would be on the rise while natural affection was on the decline, and He said His followers would be hated and hunted. The interesting thing is that Jesus didn’t consider this all bad news. In fact, He said that all of this decline was really leading to the day when He would come back! His message was for us to keep our heads up and to stand firm. He said we need to watch and to be ready for Him to return to us. How can we be ready amid a world growing darker? We can be light. If the world becomes more selfish, we become more giving. If the world fights, we mend and make peace. If they persecute us, we pray for them. If they hate us, we love everyone. If they run from Jesus, we take refuge in Him. It’s happening. The temperature is rising. He’s coming back one day and I want to be ready to stand and see His face.

Saturday, January 19, 2013

240. He Already Knows Everything



What if everyone knew? What if the stuff that really goes on in your head was public domain and what if the darkest parts of your heart were on display for everyone to see? What if the moments in your past that make you cringe and shutter were broadcast for the world? Which relationships would end as a result? What friendships would break? Would you expect to be isolated and socially quarantined? I guess that’s part of the reason we’re all so good at hiding who we really are. To some degree, most people present a kind of edited version of themselves to the world. Almost like a Facebook profile pic, this is us at our best, or at least not us at our worst. Our fear is that if anyone saw us at our worst, they’d reject us completely. We all want to be known, and accepted, but we’re afraid that we’re not acceptable, so we settle for not being known. That’s why one of the most incredible and beautiful things that ever happened in the Bible was simply the uttering of a name. Jesus was visiting a town called Jericho that had a very rare thing in inside it: A person who was totally exposed. Everyone hated Zacchaeus. He was a dirty, rotten, no good, lowlife, traitor and crook. Everyone knew it. His darkness was on display for all to see and as a result, he was utterly rejected by everyone. Everyone, that is, except Jesus. The small, lonesome, hated man was hiding up in a tree when Jesus did something amazing: Jesus said his name, “Zacchaeus.” It was His way of saying, I know everything and I love you anyway. Do you hear Him calling your name?

Wednesday, January 16, 2013

239. He Condemned Failure



Do you ever feel like no matter how hard you try to change your life, there are certain things you seem to always struggle with? Have you ever looked at your own heart and wondered, “When will I totally move past this one thing? When do I graduate and not have to keep learning it all the time?” Sometimes it can feel as though all you do is fail and if you’re anything like me, you probably think God is as tired of all your failures as you are. Sin is basically failure. It’s failing to meet God’s standard and failing to be the person He wanted us to be. We’re all failures down here. You’re probably so sick of the feeling of failing over and over again, and it’s easy to assume that God sees you the same way you see yourself, but He doesn’t. In Romans chapter 8, Paul says that Jesus came to take our place. He came in our likeness. He paid for our sinfulness even though He never sinned. In so doing, Paul says He condemned sin so that we who believe in Him will never be condemned. You could say, Jesus condemned failure. Do you realize what that means? It’s amazing news! It means that you are not a failure. Sure, you fall and stumble. Sure, your’e still learning, but God says failure is dead. It’s condemned! In the eyes of God, it’s almost as if you can’t fail. He promises He’s going to finish what He started in you and you’re already changing. You’re not who you were, and in the meantime, He says you’re not a failure. The thing we really need to learn is to see ourselves the way He sees us.

Sunday, January 13, 2013

238. He's What We Need And Eventually, What We Want



The message of Jesus offers anyone who wants it, eternal life in paradise forever and ever for absolutely free. Dang. That’s a no-brainer, right? I mean, paradise forever for free? Where do I sign up?! And yet, some people don’t want that. At the end of His ministry on earth, Jesus told some weird stories about people who didn’t really want to be in heaven. One was about how people kept making lame excuses for not coming to an amazing dinner party, so He went and grabbed random people off the streets to fill the table. One story is about an amazing King who the people all decide to hate and overthrow and kill. The weird part is, who wouldn’t want Jesus in their life, right? The only thing I can come up with is that people can sense that there is a catch. There is a suspicion inside all of us that says, “Eternal life for free? Come on... what’s the fine print?” The catch, or fine print is that Jesus does want to run the show. He is a King, after all. The people who follow Him do wind up calling Him “Master” and “Lord.” Humans don’t want a Master. People don’t want to be ruled, but when you get to know Jesus, you start to find out that being His servant is the most beautiful freedom there is. Following Jesus sets you free from the most oppressive slavery ever: Slavery to your own messed-up heart. Jesus sets us free from ourselves to be freely His. We need the rule of Jesus, and when we experience it, we find that the freedom of being His is the freedom we’ve always wanted. 

Wednesday, January 9, 2013

237. He Will Never, Ever Change



You’re not the person you used to be. Hallelujah! That little phrase is one of the greatest truths in the universe. Jesus is changing you, and even though you might not always see the changes, they are happening, nonetheless. You’re not yet where you want to be, but you’re growing. You don’t want the same stuff you used to. You don’t enjoy the same stuff you used to. You have different friends. You cope in new ways.You handle disappointment and difficulties in new ways. Your heart has a real and growing love for Jesus inside it. You may be changing slowly, but you’re changing. The funny thing is that the best news you can have about yourself is that you’re changing, but the best news there is about Jesus is that He will never change. He is still exactly the same as He has ever been, and He will always be exactly the same. When Jesus saw you, lost and alone, needing to be rescued, He wanted you. His heart was filled with compassion, patience, forgiveness and joy over exactly who you were, and the amazing thing is this: His feelings for you will never change! He still looks at you with a full heart, rejoicing over who you are and wanting you to be in His life; everyday, all the time, in a real and true relationship. Jesus will never get new friends and leave you in the dust. He will never change His mind about what you mean to Him. He will never break His promises to you. So, as you grow and change and become new in Him, remember and take comfort in this beautiful truth: “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.”

Sunday, January 6, 2013

236. He Throws A Party For You



You know how it feels to go through a season of spiritual dryness, right? You know how it feels to wander away from the Lord for a time and back into your old ways of thinking and old patterns of living, right? Have you ever looked at your Bible sitting on your desk or bed-side table and then realized that you have no idea when you last picked that thing up? First of all, if we’re being honest, we all know exactly how that feels because we’ve all been there. You’re not alone. One of the most basic truths about walking with the Lord is that we all go through ups and downs in our spiritual life. The enemy wants you to think that you’re never allowed to have a bad day or else you’re not really a Christian. The enemy wants you to think that if you have a dry season or a time where you’re down and fall back, that Jesus no longer wants you. The enemy wants you to turn an off day into an off week by telling you that Jesus thinks you have failed at life, but none of it is true. We all have dry spells, we all backslide and Jesus not only understands, but He loves us through the off days and is wooing us back. There is a place in Luke 15 where Jesus told three stories about people who lost something, got it back and threw a huge party to celebrate. When you decide you miss Jesus, and you want Him back and you pray to Him or open up your Bible, He goes crazy! All of heaven rejoices because it’s party time. Jesus always understands your heart.

Wednesday, January 2, 2013

235. His Love Is What Changes You



When you sink down to the lowest version of yourself, Jesus is down there, loving you. When you see yourself for the person you really are and the reality of that self-reflection is a horror and a nightmare, He’s there, still longing for you. When you hate yourself in ways you never hated an enemy, and when you see more clearly than anyone who’s ever slandered you just how much could be said about you, He’s right there, still wanting you to be His own. Jesus knows you completely and loves you still. That’s a simple statement, but there’s nothing more deep or more powerful than those few words. If you have never looked in the mirror and despaired about who you have become, just wait. Maybe you’ve never gone that far down, and maybe you just haven’t lived enough yet, but all honest people come to that place. Anyone who’s willing to be real about who they are has felt the desperate anguish of wishing they were someone or something else. One time a prostitute gatecrashed a dinner party where Jesus was supposedly being honored. She made a fool of herself by pouring perfume on His feet,  kissing them, sobbing and thanking Him. The host of the party assumed that Jesus didn’t know what she was, but He knew everything. He knew and His love changed her. We’re all like her, and that’s okay. Jesus sees you even more clearly than you do, but He doesn’t hate you. He’s more familiar with your failures and hypocrisies but He loves you more deeply than anyone. He really sees you and truly loves you. Nothing can change it, but when you really believe that, it will change you.