Chief of Sinners

“This saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance: "Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners"--and I am the worst of them.”

~1 Timothy 1:15 HCSB

Paul is instructing Timothy in a letter and as he opens the letter he makes this statement, “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners"--and I am the worst of them.”  I love Paul’s heart!  He has been broken and has been made new.  His heart is pure, he has a clear conscience and sincere faith and from this he loves.  His humbled approach makes us want to read further to understand more about the Jesus he shares.  I want to have a heart like Paul’s, but how can I get there.

The key is in this verse is, Paul recognizes and acknowledges who he is, a sinner.  To understand our sin is to allow the weight of our sin to weigh us down to our knees in front of the holy God.  To own our sin and to recognize only through Christ can I experience forgiveness requires humility.  This humility becomes a part of our everyday life in Christ.  Humility is to be the mark of Christ in us.  Paul continues “But I received mercy for this reason, so that in me, the worst of them, Christ Jesus might demonstrate His extraordinary patience as an example to those who would believe in Him for eternal life. Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen. (1 Timothy 1:16-17)

Acknowledging sin before a holy God enables Him to show you His incredible mercy and grace.  But most of all God will use you as an example of His love so others may believe in Him for eternal life.  We also humble ourselves because Christ humbled himself.  Christ came into the world.  God became flesh and lived among us.  He allowed Himself to be crucified to defeat sin and death forever.  We put our faith in this fact Christ came to die for sinners.  Through Christ we have forgiveness and freedom from sin.  So humble yourself before a holy God and embrace Jesus Christ, our savior forever. 

Lord forgive me for my sins.  Lord help me live more and more like your Son Jesus.  Lord use me as an example to others, live through me and let others see you in me!  Amen  

Hello My Name Is

“But You, Yahweh my Lord, deal kindly with me because of Your name; deliver me because of the goodness of Your faithful love.”  ~Psalms 109:21 HCSB

Have you ever thought about your name or the names of others?  Names are important to us they help define who we are.  Our parents thought carefully about what to name us, there are exceptions to this rule.  Moon Unit Zappa comes to mind.  But even Frank Zappa named his daughter to set her apart.      Some names are traditional, and you’ll see they have a third of fourth tagged at the end of their name.  Some people don’t like their name and they change it to fit their personality or for professional reasons.  Some people change their names to hide from something in their past.  God takes His name very serious.  Over and over again we see God say in the Bible, “Do not profane the name of your God; I am Yahweh.” God takes His name serious because of who He is. 

God is all powerful, all knowing, and is everywhere.  He is the ultimate force in the universe, He created the universe.  There are no other gods. He is the only living God.  He is the ultimate good. He is holy, righteous, perfect in every way.  He is love, mercy and grace.  There is no greater name in existence.  When Moses was asked by God to lead His people out of Egypt, Moses asked, “who do I say sent me?”  “God replied to Moses, "I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: I AM has sent me to you." God also said to Moses, "Say this to the Israelites: Yahweh, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you. This is My name forever; this is how I am to be remembered in every generation.”  (Exodus 3:14-15 HCSB) The phrase Yahweh when translated is “I will be what I will be”, so his name probably means “I will be”.  It is hard to know for sure because the Jewish people consider His name so holy they will not say it.  Even when they wrote it in scripture they would have taken a ceremonial bath afterwards.  One thing we do know it is God’s unique name and it is very important to Him.

Why is all of this important?  If you are one of His, He is not going to let anything happen to you that would discredit His name.  We can put our faith in Him because of His name.  Those who have put their trust in Christ, God’s son, we become His children.  We have the family name on us.  So when we read He deals kindly with me because of Your name, we know He will. 

Lord you are God, there is no other like You, Your name is above all names and I put my faith in You.  Lord glorify Your name in me today, use me to make Your name known to others!  Amen               

Living Letters

“You yourselves are our letter, written on our hearts, recognized and read by everyone. It is clear that you are Christ's letter, produced by us, not written with ink but with the Spirit of the living God--not on stone tablets but on tablets that are hearts of flesh.” ~2 Corinthians 3:2-3 HCSB

Think about a letter.  Letters come in all sorts of ways.  In the world we live in today a letter could be a text message on a cell phone or it something you get in the mailbox.  One thing about letters regardless of the format in which they are delivered, letters are powerful!  Letters have the ability to lift us up or break us down.  As I was serving in the first Gulf War, the highlight of the day was getting home and seeing a letter on my cot.  I couldn’t wait to open it and see what was said inside. I was connecting to someone else in a unique way.  For a moment I was there with them and I wasn’t in a war.  In Paul’s world letters were treasured and vitally important for conveying important information.  Letters written by the Apostles were used to teach and to encourage a new church.  These letters are still read today and are now part of our sacred writings.  God uses them to make Christ know to the world.  

In this letter to the Corinthians Paul is reminding the readers they themselves were letters, letters of Christ and were read by everyone.  These letters were written not by ink but by the Holy Spirit.  The very words were not carved in stone, but were pressed into the very flesh of a changed heart.  We are Christ letters and our lives are meant to be read by the world around us.  In fact people around you want to read your letter, for its very words are the way of salvation.  The words written on your heart are the words of love and hope, peace and forgiveness.  This letter is not meant to be concealed or hidden away, but is to be proudly displayed for all to read.  Today live to be read as a living letter of Christ!  

Lord thank you for your Son Jesus Christ who makes us a new creation.  Thank you for the Holy Spirit who fills our lives and turns us into a living letter proclaiming the glories of Christ.  Let the world see you in me!  Amen         

Pain and Comfort

“Praise the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and the God of all comfort. He comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any kind of affliction, through the comfort we ourselves receive from God.” ~2 Corinthians 1:3-4 HCSB 

In my life have seen suffering and have asked the question why.  At my first church I pastored Betty who was in remission from cancer.  A year later the cancer returned with a vengeance taking her life.  When the cancer returned it returned in multiple places and she was given very aggressive chemo therapy. She suffered through terrible side effects. But what I remember the most was her incredible up beat spirit and faith through it all.  I will never forget Betty and her battle which ended on a Christmas morning.  When I read these verses in the opening of 2 Corinthians I know Paul is talking about suffering for the gospel.  But I know suffering comes in all shapes and sizes and I take comfort in these words. I take comfort in the fact God is the God of all comfort and that He comforts us in all of our affection.  But what surprises me and moves me the most is the why He comforts us.  He comforts us so that we might be a comfort to others.  In other words our comfort is not for ourselves but for others!  Comfort is meant to be shared. 

Two years ago I too had cancer in my thyroid.  What I have learned from my experience is I know now what that means to be told “you have cancer”.  So when someone tells me they have cancer I can relate to the weight of this terrible disease.  I have also seen God use my experience to comfort others going through the same thing.  But what I learned the most from my experience is a closer walk with God.  In my affliction I grew to understand the mercy and grace of God in ways I didn’t understand before.  He comforted me and in doing so I gave thanks for my cancer.  Because of it I grew in a deeper understanding of God’s love and I have been sharing this love with other in a new and meaningful way.  He has given me a passion for life and for reaching others for His name sake.  I praise God and I am thankful for everyday He has given me.  What have you gone through in your life and how has God comforted you?  How have you shared that comfort with others? 

Lord we praise your name, we praise you for the comfort you give us through this life.  We know you are the God of all comfort and we are comforted to comfort others.  Lord show us the people in our lives that we need to share Your love with.  Give us the joy of Your salvation in our hearts and let it overflow and touch others.  Amen

Wept Before Me

“When the king heard the words of the law, he tore his clothes.”                         

~2 Chronicles 34:19 HCSB

Josiah became king at the age of eight.  From the start he didn’t want to be like the two kings before him.  He did what was right in the eyes of the Lord.  He cleansed the land of idol worship and in his eighteenth year he begun to repair the temple of the Lord.  As the workman was cleaning they discovered the book of the law of the Lord, written by the hand of Moses.  It had been a long time since the law had been read or followed.  Shephan took the book and read it in the presence of the king.  As Josiah heard the words of the Lord he tore his clothes in shame and humility.  He was heartbroken to how far they had gotten away from the Lord.  He then had the Law read aloud to all the people of Judah, both great and small.  Next Josiah made a covenant in the presence of the Lord to follow Lord and keep his decrees. 

What moves me about this story is the reaction of Josiah as he heard the word of God.  It broke him and he humbled himself.  He was dropped to his knees by the weight of the sin of himself and the people.  He feared the wrath of the Lord being poured out on them because of the generations of neglect.  Reading this brings me to a question, do I read the word of God and feel the same way and if not why?  God hasn’t changed and although we are now under grace instead of the law does that free us to do what we want? Can we live our lives ignoring the word and what it says?  I think not.  Paul tells us in Ephesians 4:1 “Therefore I, the prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk worthy of the calling you have received.”  The word of God is a precious gift from God.  It has stood the test of time and is to be treasured in our life.  Not as a trophy sitting on the shelf to be admired but to be read and followed.  Not to be carried into the church on Sunday morning as a badge of authenticity, but as something you cling to because in it you can know Christ in all of His fullness and glory.  

Oh how I wish we in the church would tear our clothes and humble our hearts before the Lord and treasure the Word of the God.  Today I want to encourage you to be like Josiah.  He did what was right in the eyes of the Lord and did not turn aside to the right or the left.  He honored the Word all of his life and in humbling himself before the Lord, God heard him and honored him with peace. Honor the Word of the Lord in your life.  Read it, treasure it, and share it with others.  Think on its meanings, let it soak down to the deepest parts of your heart and let it change you.  

Lord help us to treasure Your Word in our hearts.  Let it be more than just a book we own, but let it be a treasure in our lives.  Convicts us, humble us, move us to greater commitment to you!  In doing so my Christ be glorified in everything we say and do!  Amen     

King Uzziah

“He did what was right in the LORD's sight as his father Amaziah had done. He sought God throughout the lifetime of Zechariah, the teacher of the fear of God. During the time that he sought the LORD, God gave him success.” ~2 Chronicles 26:4-5 HCSB

2 Chronicles 26 tells the story of King Uzziah.  He became King at the age of 16, replacing his father Amaziah.  He reigned 52 years. The Scripture tells us he did what was right in the Lord’s sight.  He sought the Lord throughout his life and he feared God and God gave him success. He was given victory over all his enemies and they gave him tribute money.  He was well known and respected.  He repaired cities and installed towers around Jerusalem.  He dug wells and he promoted farming.  He equipped his large army with the best equipment.  He built modern catapults and skillfully designed devices that could shoot arrows.  All of this made his fame spread to distant places, until he grew strong.

When he grew strong he became arrogant.  He acted unfaithfully towards the Lord.  He went into the temple and into the sanctuary and burned incense on the incense alter.  The priest went after him and confronted him and told him he had not right to burn the incense for it was the priest scared duty.  Hearing the priest only made him enraged.  In the Lord’s temple and in front of the priest, in the midst of his fury a skin disease broke out on his forehead.  When the priest saw the disease they rushed him out of the temple and he wanted to leave because he realized it was the Lord who had afflicted him.  King Uzziah lived the rest of his life with a terrible disease and was never allowed back into the temple.  But not only was he excluded from the temple he finished his life in isolation from others.  All of this happened because of his arrogance.  

Reading this story has made me think about a lot of different things but mainly arrogance.  Arrogance takes on many forms and it will sneak upon you where you least expect it.  We should never take God for granted and especially his blessings.  As a nation we are the strongest in the world, but we have become arrogant to think we no longer need God.  We have grown arrogant in our churches by tailoring them meet our expectation and not God’s.  We have become arrogant in our homes by removing bible study and prayer and replacing it with television, internet and a host of other entertaining distractions. How long will it be before God has to get our attention by removing his blessing on us?  King Uzziah is an example for us all.  Don’t become arrogant and forget where you came from.  Remember always it is the Lord who blesses your life and never take that for granted.  Be thankful every day for the simple things.  Spend time with the family God has given you.  Respect the church and remember it is there for you to worship the Lord in fellowship with others for God’s glory and not your own.  Be humble and consider other better than yourself.  Lastly, if you will not humble yourself, God will humble you, ask King Uzziah.    

Lord help us to remain humble before you in all aspects of our lives.  Lord you are Lord and we are thankful for your love, grace and mercy.  Lord help us to acknowledge you in everything we do for your glory alone!   

Fight For You

King Jehoshaphat stood before Israel.  He had assembled them to pray to God about an invading army made up of Ammonites, Moabites and other inhabitants of Mount Seir.  The king stood in front of the temple and gave a heartfelt prayer, he reminded God that he had established them and they had built a temple for His name.  As the people were standing there with their infants, wives and children God answered the king.  The Spirit of the Lord descended on Jahaziel who said, "Listen carefully, all Judah and you inhabitants of Jerusalem, and King Jehoshaphat. This is what the LORD says: 'Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast number, for the battle is not yours, but God's. Tomorrow, go down against them. You will see them coming up the Ascent of Ziz, and you will find them at the end of the valley facing the Wilderness of Jeruel. You do not have to fight this battle. Position yourselves, stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD. He is with you, Judah and Jerusalem. Do not be afraid or discouraged. Tomorrow, go out to face them, for Yahweh is with you.'" 

Life is full of battles, physical health, relationships, all of the evil in the world. We are engaged in battles seen and unseen and many times we fight these battles alone.  For reasons unknown we choose to fight battles on our own terms and we lose a majority of the time.  Unfortunately it is when we have lost, we finally turn to God and ask for help.  In reality what we should do is follow King Jehoshaphat’s example and pray for God's help before the battle.  Now I am confident both in personal experience and by observation that God answers prayers.  He is waiting for the opportunity to help you to glorify His name. God wants to fight the battle for you.  In Christ we are children of God and what parent wouldn’t fight for their children.  

In the morning the people of Israel went out to the place the Lord commanded them.  On their way they started singing praise to the Lord.  The moment they started singing the Lord began to fight for them.  There wasn’t an enemy who remained and terror of the Lord gripped all the kingdoms around Israel.  God gave Jehoshaphat's kingdom quiet, because the Lord had given him peace on all sides.  “Do not be afraid or discouraged. Tomorrow go out to face them, for Yahweh is with you!”

Lord you alone are our salvation, you alone are our hope.  We trust in you and turn over our battles to you.  Lord we praise your name, Lord we believe in you, Your love endures forever!  Amen

Praise the Lord

“Shout triumphantly to the LORD, all the earth. Serve the LORD with gladness; come before Him with joyful songs. Acknowledge that Yahweh is God. He made us, and we are His -- His people, the sheep of His pasture. Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise. Give thanks to Him and praise His name. For Yahweh is good, and His love is eternal; His faithfulness endures through all generations.” ~Psalms 100:1-5 HCSB

The Lord is amazing and I praise His name.  I read this short simple psalm and it gets me excited about God and who He is.  We are His and through Christ we are His children, we are the sheep of His pasture.  Through Christ we are a new creation, He gives us a new birth and a living hope.  In Christ we are victorious over death and sin.  Christ is the ultimate fulfillment of this psalm, and the entire Old Testament.  Jesus Christ is the incarnation of Yahweh, He is Yahweh in flesh. Colossians 1:15-16 says “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For everything was created by Him, in heaven and on earth, the visible and the invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities-- all things have been created through Him and for Him.”

Knowing who we are in Christ makes all the difference in reading this psalm, I can shout triumphantly and serve the Lord with gladness because of His incredible grace.  I praise Him to the world and come before Him with songs of joy.  I can acknowledge Him and enter His gates with thanksgiving that overflows in my heart.  I can give Him thanks for all things, for He is wonderful.  God is good, His love is eternal and His faithfulness endures forever.  

So this morning take time to praise the Lord.  Take a moment to pause and acknowledge God and what He has done for you in Christ Jesus.  If you don’t know Him in this way, you can know Him and have a relationship with Him by putting your faith in Christ.  He went to the cross to atone for your sin.  He took your sin upon Himself to reconcile you to God.  There is nothing you can do to earn this incredible act of grace.  It is simply given to you by grace alone through faith alone.  You put your trust in Christ and what he accomplished, confess with your mouth Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart and you will be saved.  God is good, there is no one like Him, live for Him today!  

Lord I praise you, I will shout your name from the roof top of my life, for you are worthy of praise.  Thank you for salvation, thank you for the joy in my heart, thank you for everything, the breath in my lungs, eyes that can see the works of your hands, Lord I praise your name, may it be glorified in everything!  Amen  

Simply Gospel

“For I passed on to you as most important what I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that He was buried, that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures” ~1 Corinthians 15:3-4 HCSB

People ask me how they can share the gospel from the Bible, what is a good verse.  Or they ask, “What are verses that best describe the gospel”?  For me these two verses are the best. In fact Paul says in verse one “I want to clarify for you the gospel I proclaimed to you.”  So here is the gospel in a nut shell.  Paul starts by saying this is “most important” and it was something he had received, someone had shared these words with Paul before. Paul stated three important facts about the gospel in these verses.   

Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures and this had been God’s plan from the beginning of time.  It was clearly outlined in the scripture that Christ would die for our sins.  Psalm 16:18-11 says, “I keep the LORD in mind always. Because He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken. Therefore my heart is glad and my spirit rejoices; my body also rests securely. For You will not abandon me to Sheol; You will not allow Your Faithful One to see decay. You reveal the path of life to me; in Your presence is abundant joy; in Your right hand are eternal pleasures.  Isaiah 53:5-6 says “But He was pierced because of our transgressions, crushed because of our iniquities; punishment for our peace was on Him, and we are healed by His wounds. We all went astray like sheep; we all have turned to our own way; and the LORD has punished Him for the iniquity of us all.” Christ dying for our sins wasn’t an accident it was carefully planned out.    

Jesus was also buried.  People were there when he died and when they laid him in the tomb.  Witnesses prepared his body, wrapped him in burial clothing and sealed the tomb.  Most importantly Jesus rose from the dead and was seen just had he had said (Mat 12:40) and as the Psalmist wrote.  Jesus took on our sin, he died nailing our sin to the cross and was buried.  On the third day He rose again, according to plan.  Through Him we have eternal life, He who was without sin became sin so that we might have life.  Because Christ rose again we know we too will rise again. This is the gospel, the good news for all people.  By putting our faith in the work of Christ, in what he did for us in grace, we will have forgiveness of sin and eternal life.  So when someone ask you to explain the gospel take them to these verses and share this with them, just as someone shared with Paul.  Take comfort in the fact that this has all be planned out, that Christ had you in mind since the beginning of time.  

Lord help us today to live for your glory, knowing you died for our sins, was buried and rose again on the third day, according to the scripture.  Lord fill us with the joy of your salvation and let that joy spill over to others around us!  Amen.