Do We Deny His Redeeming Power?

February 5, 2014 by 2 Comments

Redemption, Salvation, GodOne of the most central components of Christianity is the belief that by identifying ourselves with the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ, we can be born again.  “Saved” we call it.  And although we are saved in a moment, we do not instantly become Christ-like.  (In fact, without a great deal of prayer, Bible study and help from other Christians, we never will in this life become Christ like – but that’s a post for a different day).

If we claim to be a Christian, then we claim to have been redeemed.  Where once we were spiritually dead and belonged to this world, we are now alive with Christ, born again in spirit, claimed by God forevermore.  This act of redemption is powerful, and in terms of our salvation, once is all that is needed.

But God’s redeeming work does not stop there.

God not only wants to redeem our souls so that we can one day join Him in Heaven, He also desires to redeem our lives while we are here on this earth.  Based on my observations, I wonder how many of us really understand that God is actively involved in the process of redeeming his creation in the here and now.

Whatever mistakes you’ve made, whatever weaknesses and failures that you are currently experiencing, God can take those and redeem them for His glory.  A mistake need not be the end.  A failure need not be forever.  And a tragedy need not have the final word.  Only God has the final word, and there is nothing that He cannot do.

Satan, our adversary, likes nothing more than to see us stumble and fall.  He does everything in his power to cause it, in fact.  But God, who is infinitely stronger and greater, likes nothing more than to take Satan’s most cunning schemes and turn them on their head so that they ultimately benefit His kingdom and His children.

I am certainly not saying that we should aim to fail, nor am I saying that a tragedy is really not tragic.  Heartache and pain come to us all and as long as we live in this fallen world, we will all experience the consequences of sin.  What I am saying is that our God is so great and so amazing that He can take our darkest moment and our worst nightmare and bring blessings and goodness from it.

God is still in the business of redemption and he specializes in bringing dead things back to life.  Darkness cannot stand before Him and death and Hell have no power over Him.  There is no moment or circumstance that surprises Him and there is no time that He is not in control and not actively working for the ultimate good of those He loves and calls His own.

Remember well, brothers and sisters: when we choose to allow our circumstances to defeat us and we become dismayed and bleak because of the trials of this life, what we are really saying is that we do not believe that our God is big enough to redeem even this.  May we never deny His redeeming power!

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Do You Speak the Language of God?

October 2, 2013 by Leave a Comment

god's love,regeneration.salvationI’ll never forget what the man said that day.  It was an introduction to a church service quite unlike anything that I had ever heard before.  This man told a story about a funeral he had recently attended that held very special meaning for him.  This is what he said:

The deceased had been deaf and mute his entire life.  Despite this particular challenge he had lived a full life that was full of love with a wife and two daughters. During the funeral one of this man’s daughters got up to speak.  She said that she was several years old before she began to learn sign language and could begin to effectively communicate with her father.  She knew she was loved from the time that she was a baby because of the way he treated her but she never heard him say a single word in his entire life.  His type of speaking was completely different.

Imagine this man, this father, going three, four or even five years into the lives of his daughters before he could tell them how much he loved them.  Imagine all of the things that he wanted to teach them and to show them but was unable to because they could not understand his language.  But oh, what joy when the language barrier was finally broken and the children began to understand what their father had been trying to tell them all along.  “I love you, you belong in my family.  You belong to me”

We have a Heavenly Father who desperately wants to communicate to us how much he loves us.  He created us.  He knows us intimately and we are His children.  But so many of us don’t speak his language.

The natural man cannot understand the holy, perfect language of God.  (1 Corinthians 2:14)  Without the regenerating power of the blood of Jesus Christ we are lost and without hope and are unable to see or understand all that God has prepared for us.  When we accept the sacrifice of Jesus and admit and repent of our sinful state then the Spirit of God can begin the process of teaching us to understand that which is holy and perfect.

The more we seek that which is of the Spirit the more we will begin to understand His character and His great love and great grace as He draws near to us. (James 4:8)  Learning to understand the language of God happens when we get to know Him as our creator, deliverer, savior and friend.  I hope that you are learning the language of God even now so that you can hear him say, “I love you, you are my child and you are my treasure”.

I would love to hear how God has been speaking to you lately and telling you that He loves you!

 

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Whose light is this?

May 29, 2013 by Leave a Comment

whoselightNot mine, that’s for sure.  My light is insufficient for much of anything.  My light doesn’t even provide enough light for me to see by, much less anyone else.  My light flickers and fades and is prone to go out when I need it the most.  Cue the violins; it’s getting dark in here!

That’s why I’ve decided to upgrade.  God has offered to provide me the light of his son, Jesus Christ for the small price of my absolute faith in Him.  With God’s light I never need worry about sudden power outages, energy shortages or any other crises which may come along.  God’s light   in me is a renewable energy source and provides vast supplies of love, joy and peace.  Included in the package is an eternal home in Heaven and a “share the light” plan in which all lives touched by God’s light are enriched and strengthened.

Some call this “salvation” and it is indeed salvation from many things of which I will discuss in the future.  But it’s so much more than that.  It is life abundant.  It is perfect peace which does indeed pass all human understanding.  It is joy most certainly in the good times but also in the darkest of times.

For possessing God’s light does not mean that we are exempt from dark times but it does mean that we always have the strength and the grace to get through them to the other side.  And in doing so we share God’s light with those around us who so desperately need it.

So remember, if you already have God’s light in you then please, share it with someone around you who needs it.  Or, if you are someone who’s tired of stumbling around in darkness, tired of internal power failures at the worst times and ready for an upgrade then talk to me.  God’s light is a family plan with plenty of room for you!

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