Who's Being Held?

If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God...Bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do. Colossians 3:1,13

I love the show The Biggest Loser. It's incredible to watch the transformation happen in people's lives as they lose all the weight that has been dragging them down for so long.

Many Christians need to become big losers, too, but I'm not talking about their weight.

I am talking about how we can hold on to things that weigh us down, imprisoning us and keeping us from the life and freedom God wants for us.

In my opinion, nothing keeps more Christians in prison than unforgiveness. We need to understand that forgiveness is not so much about our pasts as it is about our future. If we think about where we're going, then we need to think about what we get to take with us.

Unforgiveness doesn't get to stick around Heaven, and do you know why? Because Heaven is where God's ultimate best for us is finally fulfilled. It's not like our past doesn't still exist. The fact remains that hurtful things, even devastating things, have happened. But unforgiveness has no place in Heaven because it keeps us from God's best.

The good news here is that we can begin to experience that blessing from God now, because we do not need to wait for Heaven to forgive.

Maybe you're thinking, But if I forgive the person who hurt me, doesn't that mean that I'm saying what they did was okay?

No, you're not. What they did will never be okay. But forgiveness does not mean what they did is okay; it means that you are surrendering it to the Lord. You're letting Him be the judge, letting Him bring justice instead of clinging to that for yourself.

Ultimately, for our sakes, forgiveness means freedom. Our unforgiveness does nothing to the person who hurt us; it doesn't hurt or punish them in the least. And it doesn't put them in prison; it puts us in prison.

Let go of your unforgiveness today and let Jesus heal your hurts. He died so that you could be whole and forgave you so that you could be free.

Prayer Lord God,

Thank You for forgiving me! You know how badly I have been hurt, and You know how it has kept me in prison. But I want to be free! I choose today to forgive everyone who has hurt me, and I trust You to heal me and set me free.

Amen

Overcoming Temptation

Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him. James 1:12

Temptation.

It reaches out to us from all corners of society. Its tentacles seek to wrap themselves around us in the pressures of a work day. They grasp for us in the chaos of a busy home. They call to us from billboards and TV commercials, trying to seduce us to their will.

With temptations all around us, how are we going to overcome this unending battle? There are three things in our verses today that I want you to notice, which, as we apply them to our lives, will help us overcome temptations.

First, we are blessed-literally happy-when we endure temptation. James is saying that there is a blessing, even in this earthly life, for anyone who says no when temptation knocks on their door. In other words, there is a goody for not giving in. For keeping yourself apart from the world, for staying different than everyone else-God promises a blessing.

Second, God promises to bless those who overcome with a crown of life. Think about that one-a crown that is way better than one made of gold and precious stones; we will be crowned with life!

Third, it is a fact that temptation is a foe we can conquer. We do not have to remain subject to it or put up with its seducing voice. We can overcome! James would not have written that we will be blessed for enduring temptation if we were not able to do it by the grace and power of the Lord Jesus Christ!

This last truth is one we really need to get inside our hearts. We cannot allow ourselves to cop out and say, Well, I just couldn't hold up. The devil made me do it. It's not my fault; I'm just not strong enough.

No, you are strong enough, and you can endure temptation. And you will endure it as you hide yourself in Jesus' death and in the power of His resurrected life. Run from temptation; flee from it! But flee into the cross of Jesus where temptation loses its power. Hide yourself in Jesus' victory and you will be victorious, too.

Do this, and you, dear overcomer, will be blessed as you endure temptation.

Prayer Lord Jesus,

Thank You for Your victory over temptation and sin! I run to You and ask You to help me overcome all the temptations that come against me every day. I know that with Your help, I will endure temptation and receive Your promised blessing!

Amen

Money View

Moreover, brethren, we make known to you the grace of God bestowed on the churches of Macedonia: that in great trial of affliction the abundance of their joy and their deep poverty abounded in the riches of their liberality...And not only as we had hoped, but they first gave themselves to the Lord, and then to us by the will of God. 2 Corinthians 8:1-2,5

Sensitive times are quite often the worst times to bring up sensitive subjects, right? Quite often, this is true, but I have to say that I think that sensitive times can be the best times to talk about sensitive subjects.

Take right now, for example. All of us have now lived in deep recession, the biggest economic downturn since the Great Depression. Lots of people need jobs. Lots of people have needs. But I think this is the best time possible to talk about money, because those were the circumstances happening in the world when Paul chose to talk about it.

That's when Paul talks about it to Corinth, in light of them being faced with a great trial of affliction. In other words, they're living in hard times. If we're living in hard times, that means we can relate. But look at what Paul tells us in our verses today.

Do you see that in the beginning they gave even out of their deep poverty? That means they gave what they didn't have. They gave, not out of their abundance, but out of their lack. They gave in times of difficulty and trials of affliction.

But Paul doesn't stop there; he helps us know where the giving starts-it starts with giving ourselves to the Lord.

Listen, He doesn't want your money. He wants you. That's where they started. They gave themselves to the Lord, then they gave themselves to Paul and his companions. Mark that, okay? This is not either/or; it is both. They gave themselves to God, then they gave again.

Well that ought to be enough, Pastor. I gave myself to God. What? Do you want more?

Well, the Scripture says: Not only did they give themselves first to God, but then to us by the will of God.

God's will. Who cares what my will in this is? I know it's a sensitive subject at a sensitive time. It's God's will that we give to Him and then give again. Our job is just simply to obey.

And, who knows? Maybe by talking about this sensitive topic at a time when we feel the cost of obedience more deeply, when we give our money to God then we'll actually give our hearts, too.

Prayer Father God,

Thank You that You want all of me and aren't willing to settle for less! I'm sorry for giving You less than my all in the past, but I repent from that and choose to trust in You to provide for me as I give generously and joyfully.

Amen

Preparing for the End

The the king shall do according to his own will...He shall regard neither the God of his fathers nor the desire of women, nor regard any god; for he shall exalt himself above them all. Daniel 11:36-37

There's a guy I hear talked about a lot. I even hear people trying to pin his title on various people now and then. Who am I talking about?

I'm talking about the anti-Christ. To help us understand who and what the anti-Christ really is, let's dig into our verses today. You'll see several things that explain the agenda of the anti-Christ to us.

Number one, he's got some Jewish blood that is flowing through his veins, but according to our verses, he will turn his back on the faith of his fathers. That is a pervasive, growing position around the world. You've probably run into many people that have said, Well, culturally I'm Jewish; I just don't practice. This guy will take on that exact same position. He will not regard the God of his fathers.

Secondly, he will not regard the desire of women. Stop right there. What's that telling you about him? What's that telling you about his agenda? It's telling you and me that either he is himself homosexual or he is very accepting of the homosexual agenda.

You know, it's gotten to the point where I clearly understand that when I speak out against homosexuality, I am speaking out against the entire culture. I'm speaking out against what has become so politically accepted and correct; and that's this guy's agenda.

Thirdly, he will regard no god, exalting himself above all. This is certainly pervasive amongst our society, people saying, What does it matter what church you go to or what name you call your god-Jesus, Allah, Buddha, Krishna-it's all the same thing.

Is that not the heart of our entire society? This is the agenda of the anti-Christ.

I don't know if you're with me or not, church, but you've got to be asking yourself, Is his agenda my agenda? Am I now somehow saying, Bob, who cares if they're two guys; they love each other,' or, I was raised in a Christian home, but I really don't believe in it anymore,' or, It doesn't really matter who you worship; it's all the same.' We need to ask this question of ourselves, because we've got to see whose team we are playing on and position we are promoting.

Whose agenda are you pushing, the real Christ or the anti-Christ?

Prayer Lord Jesus,

You are God above all else! You are the only way, truth, and life! Whether my family has known you or not, I know You now, and I will live for You my whole life, no matter what other agenda confronts me!

Amen

Never Saw It Coming

Remember now your Creator in the days of your youth, before the difficult days come, and the years draw near when you say, I have no pleasure in them.' Ecclesiastes 12:1

Oh, I'll do that later. Have you ever said that? I know I have. The sobering thing, though, is that you and I might have less time to do things later than we think.

None of us know when our end is coming. I remember one particular Sunday morning when one of the high schoolers in our community died rolling his car. Our pastors went out to comfort his family, none of them expecting the end to come so soon.

Have you ever had an experience like that? Maybe it wasn't to that extreme of a degree, but all of us have been taken by surprise at some point in our lives. And the last thing we want when we get to the end of our lives is to say, Man, I never saw that coming. I wasn't ready.

You see, it's one thing to be caught by surprise. It's another thing completely to be caught by surprise and not be ready for it. A lot of people were surprised by the economic downturn, but some people had planned ahead well enough, diversifying their investments, having saved up little by little over the years, acting wisely enough ahead of time that they weren't hurt too badly by it. Others who were caught unawares by it have suffered greatly.

The unavoidable truth is that life doesn't last forever. Even the things we enjoy in lifehearing, eyesight, desire for our spouses, teeth, the strength of our bodies-these things fade as we age. And the question that all of us need to answer is, what are we doing with what we have now.

What are you doing with what you have now? Are you holding onto it, hoping for a better day? Are you using what you have for the Lord so that when what you have in this life disappears, you still have a reward waiting for you in Heaven? Or are you wasting what you have now on worldly pursuits, on what sounds good to you today? Are you spending all your resources for your own pleasure while you can, leaving yourself eternally bankrupt?

We need to live today with eternity and the rest of our lives in view. Nothing we have will last forever, but what we can gain by using what we have now for the Lord will last forever.

None of us know what's coming tomorrow, so choose to serve the Lord today.

Prayer Father God,

Thank You for reminding me that, while I can try to make plans, I really never know what tomorrow will bring. I give my life and all that I have to You today. Guide me in this life and help me to use what I have for Your glory!

Amen

Knowing God's Plan

His delight is in the fear of the LORD, and He shall not judge by the sight of His eyes, nor decide by the hearing of His ears; but with righteousness He shall judge the poor, and decide with equity for the meek of the earth. Isaiah 11:3-4

Does the idea of God as judge scare you?

It should, to a degree. But-and this is a big but-knowing how God judges us helps us know that we can trust Him. Here's what you need to know:

God will not judge us emotionally; He will judge us faithfully. God isn't fickle or moody. He is a God of love who judges us faithfully-righteously faithful to the truth.

God also judges us righteously faithful to the cross, according to whether or not your life has been sprinkled by the blood of Jesus. It doesn't matter whether we like this or not, because this is the standard by which we will be judged. The fact is that we have all sinned, which means that we will be condemned to Hell unless we hide ourselves under the blood of Jesus.

If Jesus hasn't paid for it all in your life, then you still owe a debt you'll never be able to pay. And because God doesn't judge emotionally, He will never say, Well, Jimmy doesn't have the blood covering him, but I really like him, so I'll just say that he's okay. No. God judges righteously faithful to the cross.

God will also judge us based on the Spirit of God. Is the Spirit of God residing in you? Is He active in your life? Are you following Him how He leads you? Are you letting Him bring out His character inside of you? Because Jesus died on the cross and then gave you His very own Spirit, and He doesn't want you to live like His Spirit is some fourth-class gift, given a place of dishonor in your life where you ignore Him all the time.

God will judge us based on these things, and He's told us about it ahead of time so that we are not caught unaware. It won't be a surprise on that day when we stand before Him; there will be no Gotcha! moment.

So now you know what you will face when you stand before God. Are you ready?

Prayer Lord God,

Thank You that You are a righteous and faithful judge! Thank You for telling me what You desire to see in me now and on that day! Please help me to be faithful in all of these things so that I may hear You say, Well done!

Amen

Upgrade

And behold, a woman in the city who was a sinner, when she knew that Jesus sat at the table in the Pharisee's house, brought an alabaster flask of fragrant oil, and stood at His feet behind Him weeping; and she began to wash His feet with her tears, and wiped them with the hair of her head; and she kissed His feet and anointed them with the fragrant oil...Then He said to her, Your sins are forgiven...Your faith has saved you. Go in peace.' Luke 7:37-38,48,50

I hope that you can relate to the woman in these verses. Her story starts out pretty bleak. All we know about her is that she was a sinner, and everyone in town knew it.

But that's not the most important thing about this woman. The most important thing is that her heart was broken over her sin. How do we know? We know because as soon as she knew where to find Jesus, she invited herself to the party and gave everything she had to Him. Quite likely, she had given everything she had to many men, but this was different. This was deeper. This was not an offering of her body as she had given to others; this was an offering of her heart, her soul, and her very life.

When she knew where to find Jesus, she took the only thing of value she had and poured it out on Him. She wept tears of loving repentance to wash His feet and then dried them with her hair. She humbled herself, dirtying her own hair so that His feet could be clean, knowing that as soon as he walked into the dusty street they would be dirty again. She kissed His feet with kisses of pure innocence and love.

She sought nothing from Him, but in offering everything, she received more than she gave. She received forgiveness. She received wholeness. She received a brand new start, a new life, and an opportunity for a new reputation.

This is why I hope you can relate to this woman. Have you recognized your need for Jesus and offered yourself to Him?

Prayer Lord Jesus,

I love You! I need You and I offer You everything I have! I lay myself at Your feet. Please forgive me and help me to live a life that is different because it belongs to You.

Amen