Praise God Salvation Doesn't Fade Away like flowers!

 

Day 4

3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, 5 who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.  (1 Pet. 1:3-5 NAU)

October is Pastor Appreciation Month. I was looking at the flowers that were given to my wife on our kitchen table and realized this is November 7th. Those flowers were given to her almost 2 weeks ago. They still looked fresh and beautiful. 

I praise God that my eternal security and inheritance are not like these flowers. The flowers may still look good now, but in a few more days, we will have to throw them away because they will end up all over the table as they dry out and die. 

Peter encourages us that our “Living Hope” is Jesus; it will never wither or die. It is imperishable. It is undefiled. That means it cannot be corrupted, rusted, or diminished in any way. My salvation is secure in Jesus. 

Have you ever thought about this? Maybe your wonder and awe over your salvation has been tarnished or jaundiced by another Christian responding to you roughly or treating you in an unChrist-like manner. Maybe you have really grown apathetic to this great news because you have grown busy and distracted by work or health issues in your life. Maybe the past election or your current neighbor interaction has left you a bit frazzled.

Today is a great day to be encouraged and to praise God with me that God has not forgotten you; He has not grown jaundiced or tarnished with you over your behavior or decisions you have made. God is good all the time. He loves you and wants you to know how great He is. You are precious to Him, so much so that HE has put aside in heaven a place and your inheritance, just waiting for you to be with him so He can give it to you. That means He is longing to see you and spend eternity with you. Are you longing to see Him and spend eternity with Him?

Think about that and praise God with me today!

Boast only in the CROSS!

 Day 3

14 But far be it from me to have glory in anything, but only in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which this world has come to an end on the cross for me, and I for it. (Gal. 6:14 BBE)

14 But may it never be that I would boast, except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. (Gal. 6:14 NAU)

I like the Bible in Basic English version of this verse. I shared yesterday why I praise God for this verse. It challenges me to praise God in two ways:

#1 - I need to praise God for saving me from my sin through the cross, something I could never purchase, earn, barter, negotiate, or be good enough to do on my own.

#2 - I need to praise God for crucifying me to the world. 

Yesterday I shared the explanation of point #2. Today I want to share my perspective on point #1. 

I have found myself too often gloating (glorying) in ME when I point out my salvation. This is what I once did: look at how bad I was; But now that I have asked Jesus to wash me with His special spiritual bleach, look at how good I am. 

I don’t want to cut myself any slack here because this is downright pride in my wicked heart trying to take credit for something I could never do. I’m robbing the glory Jesus only deserves.

However, I have also noticed lately, from some pulpits and other forums, a similar but more divisive boasting that drives my lost neighbors, friends, loved ones, and co-workers away. 

It is a political boasting, an intellectual boasting, a scientific boasting, an educational boasting. It really boils down to my arrogant feelings in that moment about what I perceive to be going on in someone else's life or meme. Listen, I’m not hammering anyone! I am looking fully in the mirror at myself. This type of boasting is so deceptive and passive-aggressive. It can be more divisive and wicked than outright, blatant arrogance and pride.

I praise God because, through this verse, HE gives me a clear boundary of what to talk about and how to keep my words honoring to HIM in all things. Boast only in the Cross. 

There is nothing more loving, there is nothing more gracious, there is nothing more merciful, there is nothing more righteous, there is nothing more humble, there is nothing more true, there is nothing more perfect, there is nothing more complete, there is nothing more worthy to talk about or to think about. 

8 Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things. (Phil. 4:8 NAU)

I think we can measure our boasting when we look at our lives and people begin to say about us; they are always posting verses, they are always talking about Jesus, they are always encouraging folks to get to church, they are always sharing how Jesus saved them. 

I share this because God has given me the privilege to glorify HIM through my life and especially through my words, written and spoken. I have caused enough people to run away and hide and to say If that is what Jesus is all about, I don’t want any of it. I’ve been convicted a long time ago that I can influence others toward Jesus or influence them away. I praise God; He IS TEACHING me how to influence people toward Him. Boast only in the cross!

Praise God Jesus Cut My Stirrup!

 Day 2

“14 But may it never be that I would boast, except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.”(Gal. 6:14 NAU)

I praise God for this verse. It challenges me to praise God in two ways:

#1 - I need to praise God for saving me from my sin through the cross, something I could never purchase, earn, barter, negotiate, or be good enough to do on my own.

#2 - I need to praise God for crucifying me to the world. 

The first one is relatively understandable, and I will write more about that on another day. The second one is a bit stickier to understand, and why would I praise God for crucifying me to the world?

Let me explain so that you can praise God for this with me. 

Imagine you're driving at breakneck speed down a road when someone stops you to warn you the bridge is out. You turn your car around and are no longer going to plummet over the chasm and die. That is salvation from our sin when we respond to the message of the gospel. This is praising God for saving you; boasting only in the cross. Now imagine you are riding a horse, and something spooks the horse and knocks you out of the saddle, but your foot gets caught in the stirrup, and you are being dragged till someone stops the runaway horse and cuts your foot from the stirrup. This is praising God because I have been crucified to the world. This is me growing in God’s grace and compassion as the Holy Spirit matures me to live to honor and love Jesus. If Jesus had not cut my foot from the runaway horse of this world, even as a Christian, I would still struggle with the issues and sin of this world. Praise God for crucifying me to this world.

Paul was writing to the Galatian church. He was reminding believers in JESUS that they were developing attitudes toward other Christians and toward those who were lost in sin that were not pleasing to Our Father in heaven. Attitudes of disgust that they would commit such a sin because they were Christians. An attitude of pride: look at those poor wretches; they haven’t got a clue how to live.

 Paul explains this best in Romans 6; 

“ 10 For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God. 11 Even so consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus.”

 (Rom. 6:10-11 NAU)

Literally, what Paul shares in Romans 6:10+11 is what Paul was reiterating to the Galatian believers in 6:14. Christ died for our sin and crucified us with HIM on that cross, so we are dead to the control and rule of sin forever. The attitudes the Galatians were developing were completely out of line for people who were dead to sin in this world. They instead should be developing attitudes of grace and love, compassion for those who were struggling with sin in this world. 

I am not always this compassionate, and I have not always seen people through Jesus' eyes. I do, however, praise God that HE alone crucified me to this world and its sinful deeds and attitudes. That today, even when I find my pride or lack of compassion toward someone who is struggling with sin inappropriate, I stand in JESUS finished work of GRACE for me. 

Where do you praise God for crucifying you to this world today? Share and praise God with me.

A Good Word Makes Our Hearts Glad

 Day 1

25 Anxiety in a man's heart weighs it down, But a good word makes it glad. (Prov. 12:25 NAU)

Have you ever been so worried and preoccupied that you didn’t pay attention to the clothes you were putting on? Praise God you were fully garbed, but you really never paid attention to what you were actually wearing. Now, you would not do this normally, but once you realize how you are dressed and it is way too late to go home and change, you must now finish your day the way you are, and it multiplies your anxiety. 

How good do you feel when someone close to you says something encouraging to you like, “That is a bold outfit; if anyone can pull it off, you can, and it looks good on you.” Or maybe, " That is a great sweater. I like how it really makes your eyes pop.” 

You know that these people understand, and they are just trying to comfort and encourage you. More importantly, how often do we ourselves look in the mirror and tear ourselves down before we even finish brushing our teeth?

This morning I want to praise God for the truth of His Word from Proverbs 12:25. “ 25 Anxiety in a man's heart weighs it down, But a good word makes it glad.” (Prov. 12:25 NAU)

There is so much we hear and tell ourselves that just makes our anxiety and worry meters spike but one word of praise or encouragement incredibly resets all our anxieties. 

I praise God that He thinks I am worth dying for: 

18 knowing that you were not redeemed with perishable things like silver or gold from your futile way of life inherited from your forefathers, 19 but with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ. (1 Pet. 1:18-19 NAU)

I praise God that He made me a part of His family:

12 But 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 NAU)

I praise God that He loves me:

38 For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers,

 39 nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Rom. 8:38-39 NAU)

Today, praise God and share this praise and encouragement with someone else. It only takes one to reset our anxiety meters. Reset yours and someone else's today.