The Integrity of Redemption

And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. Romans 8:28

Who do you want to be on your seventy-fifth birthday?

This is a great question for us to ask ourselves because it puts the choices we're making today in perspective. One of the greatest measurements for how we're progressing toward who we want to be is to look at what we love right now. I say this because what you love seizes you every single day, and that's why God says it ought to be Him, because it affects everything.

What you love is what gets you out of bed. It determines what you do in the evenings, how you'll spend the weekend, what you read, and who you know.

Every person ever born was born with a love need. And what God says to us is, I want so much for you to be complete and whole in realizing that I'm the one who can fill that gaping hole in each and every heart. I will give you the purpose and meaning you desire.

I know that, really, all of us have had bumps in life. We've had bumps in the process of searching for something to fill that love hole, because everything else disappoints us. We put our hope out there, open up our heart to someone or something, and then the hurt comes when we realize it's not what we need. But here's where God is so good to us.

Just go back and read our verse for today. You know that verse, but all of us are right now in the process of discovering that what the Bible tells us is true. And here is one incredible thing that the Bible tells us is true-that God is faithful to redeem.

Redemption is not just something that is a historical record of what happened to the Israelites as they were set free from slavery to Egypt. It isn't something that just happens to a few folks like Moses. No, this process and program of redemption is God saying to us right now that All things will work together for good in your life and in mine.

Listen, I know that better now at fifty than I knew that at twenty. And I want to stand before you and say that I hope and pray that I know it even better at sixty than I knew it at fifty. And even more at seventy-five, if the Lord should tarry.

Who do I want to be at seventy-five? I want to be someone who loved Jesus enough to stick with Him through the tough times, so that I've seen His track record of redemption. How about you?

Prayer Father God,

Thank You for being the God of redemption! Thank You that You see all the things in my life that need redeemed. I choose to love You today, and ask for Your help to love You more every day as I look for Your redemption!

Amen

A Better Day Ahead

For I am the LORD, I do not change. Malachi 3:6

If you think about it, life really all comes down to our relationships, but so often wires get crossed in our relationships. We're not communicating the same way we used to. We're just not on the same page anymore.

This confusion in relationships can happen just as easily in our relationship with God as it can in our relationships with one another. In fact, this is what was happening in Israel when God gave them a message through the prophet Malachi. This message still helps us today to uncross our wires and get back on God's page.

God asks Israel a few questions:

Why do you say that I don't love you? Why do you feel this way? And God reminds them of His history with them, how He protected them, preserved them, and stuck with them the whole time, despite how unlovable they often had been. For us, if we can't recognize God's love in the cross, then the problem is certainly on us and not on Him. We need to remember His love.

Where's the honor for Me in our relationship? Where have you shown that I am important to you? See, Israel kept bringing defiled offerings-animals that were blind and lameand keeping the best for themselves. Are you giving God your best-the first of your income, the best of your time, and the most passionate of your love?

Third, why are you betraying Me? Israel was betraying God by marrying women who worshiped other gods. They were also letting divorce run rampant, of which God said that He hates it, that it covers His altar with tears, and that because of it, He won't receive their offerings anymore. Do you still think it's okay to date that non-Christian you've been seeing? And so what if you're marriage is on the rocks. Get help and fix it, but don't give up on it; it's too important to give up.

God finally gets to the bottom line. He says, I am the LORD, I do not change. In other words, Here's the problem, guys-you don't give Me the right place in your heart where you think of Me before anything else. But all these accusations you level at Me, well, I don't change. I am that I am. It's you who needs to change.

The same is true of us. No matter how we feel toward God, He's never changed. He's always loved us and He loves us today. He's always wanted relationship with us, and no matter where our relationship with Him is at today, He wants to make it better.

Will you let Him?

Prayer Lord God,

Thank You that Your love for me never changes! Please forgive me for any ways I've failed You or doubted Your love. Come today and take me deeper into relationship with You!

Amen

Choose Your Glue

For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified. 1 Corinthians 2:2

It's time to go back to your roots. Do you know where they are?

First of all, to return to your roots means that you have been planted somewhere long enough to have developed them. If you never planted somewhere-and I mean really planted,

got involved, lived life, been active in what was going on over a sustained period of time-then your root system is dwarfed and you barely have roots to which you can return.

What are you talking about, Bob? I've had a great life and a great heritage I can fall back on at any time.

I'm not talking about your heritage in this world. As great as your family is, you cannot ride your roots in this world to Heaven. In fact, if your heritage didn't ground you in God, then your family roots in this world could actually keep you stuck in the mud, planted in things that keep you from Heaven.

What I am talking about is Christ crucified. Christ crucified is the center of our lives, the truth from which everything else flows that keeps us grounded for real life in God.

A lot of people are choosing to focus on anything but Christ crucified, thinking that somehow something else will fill that hole in their hearts. They think, Well, I just need to move; I need a different location. Or maybe it's-

I'm getting a new car. But you just got a new car last year and you weren't satisfied then, so why would you be now?

I just started dating this new person. But you've had four wives. You're on your third husband.

I need to be closer to my kids. Except that the kids used to live with you in your house. Did it solve issues then?

Maybe I just need a new church. Do you realize that this was your new church from the one you left?

I need more money, more education, a better job, a fancier title, more toys...then I'll be happy and satisfied.

No. These things are not the answers you need in life. You need Christ and Him crucified. He is your root system, your source of nutrients and strength to weather the storms of life.

Nothing else will satisfy you. It has to be Christ crucified alone.

Prayer Lord Jesus,

Thank You for being crucified for my sake! I choose to turn now from looking for answers in all the things this world has to offer. You alone are my hope and my strength, and I trust in You alone for everything I need!

Amen

Joel in 3D

Now, therefore,' says the LORD, Turn to Me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning.' So rend your heart, and not your garments; return to the LORD your God, for He is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness; and He relents from doing harm. Joel 2:12-13

Have you seen a movie in the latest 3D technology? Or even more, have you seen the TV's that bring 3D right into your home? It really brings you into a deeper entertainment experience, doesn't it?

Well, hopefully today I can bring us all into a deeper experience of things that are more important than entertainment. We'll take one dimension at a time.

Layer one is this world, the natural, physical world that constantly surrounds us. We know this world well because we can't really ignore it. It's always around us, always shouting at us, always pressing on us with its wants, needs, and desires. And if we're not careful, it's easy to get trapped in this dimension.

So many people do, you know. They get caught up in the jobs, houses, cars, toys, stuff, and more stuff that this dimension offers. Honestly, this is a tragic trap, because living multidimensionally is so much better.

Layer two adds the spiritual dimension, in which we recognize that this physical world is not all there is to life. There is an unseen Creator who made all that we can see, who made us, loves us, and died for us so that we could be restored to relationship with Him and rose again from the dead so we could live with Him forever.

If we add layer two to layer one by letting Jesus Christ be our Lord and Savior, life grows infinitely richer and deeper. He removes sin and shame from us, taking away the things that lead to death, replacing them with forgiveness, love, joy, peace, and hope. We still get to enjoy His created world, but we now live for something else, something bigger. We now worship the Creator instead of His creation.

Layer three is eternity, which makes our picture complete, drawing it right into our lives until we're surrounded with our new reality. See, when we lived for the world, time was our enemy, because it's only a matter of time before the things for which we have worked so hard will decay and die. This world has an expiration date, but Heaven is eternal. And when we live for Jesus, He is our promise of hope for life everlasting in Heaven.

Turn to the Lord today. Let Him lead you into life in 3D.

Prayer Lord Jesus,

Thank You for giving me so much more in life than just what this world has to offer! I turn to You completely right now and ask for life in 3D. Please lead me in life more abundantly!

Amen

A Kingdom of Everlasting Hope

But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, to an innumerable company of angels, to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are registered in heaven, to God the Judge of all, to the spirits of just men made perfect, to Jesus the Mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling that speaks better things than that of Abel. Hebrews 12:22-24

Have you ever thought of putting hope in a judge?

I think most of us get a bit of a nervous feeling when we think about going before a judge. We know that, while they hold our justice in their hands, there are plenty of failures for which they could nail us.

How much more scary is it, then, to think of going before Jesus as our Judge? Well, actu-

ally, that idea doesn't make me nervous at all. Here's why: I know Jesus, and not only is He my Judge, but He's also my Mediator.

In other words, the judge and the defense counsel are the same person, which I think is a great deal for us. But there's one super important detail in this that we need to catch, because Jesus isn't going to mediate on everyone's behalf, but only on behalf of certain people.

Those people are not determined randomly, but by whether or not we know Jesus, by whether or not we have received His covenant that He offered to us when He died on our behalf. If we have said, Yes, Jesus, I know that I have sinned, but I receive Your death on my behalf, then we have entered into the covenant that He offers to us. This covenant is a promise of relationship that doesn't depend on what we've done, but what He did, and we can only enter into it by faith.

Once we have entered this covenant with Jesus, our hope goes to a whole new level. See, our hope might be at one level if our judge is different than the one who came to save us. But when we realize that our Judge is also the one who did come to save us, our hope rises off the charts.

We can say, I know Him. And I hope that you can say that today, because if you can't say that you know Jesus today, then you don't have hope. But the good news is that you can, even right now. Simply receive what Jesus did for you when He died in your place. Ask Him to come live inside of you and lead you from this day forward. Then simply follow Him as He leads and directs you.

Prayer Lord Jesus,

I know that everyone will one day know You as their Judge, but I want to know You as my Savior, too, so that I can have hope on that day. I choose to receive Your death in my place and I ask You to live in me and lead my life from this day forward!

Amen

One Way

The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ? 1 Corinthians 10:16

Have you ever been confused by Communion? We eat some flat bread-a cracker, or a wafer, or whatever it is-and then we drink some juice. Why? What does it really mean? It is important for us to answer these questions, for communion is one of the most im-

portant things Jesus left to us before He returned to Heaven. As we look at eight key elements to what communion represents, all this will become clear to you.

First, communion is clarifying. It is our community identity, taking precedence over our background, socioeconomic status, wealth, color, gender, or anything else that might define us. Second, communion is purifying, so that we would no longer live for the things of the world, but for Christ and Christ alone.

Third, communion is sacrificing. It reminds us of all that Jesus sacrificed and provokes us to question what we are sacrificing for Him.

Fourth, communion is saying, Thanks. It is being thankful for all that God has done for us, and being thankful all the time for all things, whether we are in the church building or away from it.

Fifth, communion is examining our motives, actions, behaviors, and beliefs. We need to be sure that we're living for Christ before we partake of communion and repent of any ways in which we are falling short.

Sixth, communion is remembering all the horror that Jesus Christ endured in the beatings, the cross, the grave, and the sin, sickness, and shame that He took from us upon Himself. It is remembering the freedom and new life that He bought for us and the defeat He dealt to Satan on that day.

Seventh, communion is proclaiming the Lord's death until He comes again. This is us crying out to the world that there is hope, and His name is Jesus Christ.

Eighth, communion is anticipating what is to come and what is still to take place. Communion now is only a precursor to when we will sit down with the Lord Himself and partake of this meal together.

By now you can see why communion is so important, but right now you need to know that it is more than just a powerless ceremony. It is actually the picture of a reality that each of us should live. If you believe these eight points, are you living them?

Prayer Lord Jesus,

Thank You for all that You did for me! I believe and receive everything that communion represents. Now please help me to live out my beliefs and proclaim the hope You bring until the day You return!

Amen

All In

Thus says your Lord, the LORD and your God, who pleads the cause of His people: See, I have taken out of your hand the cup of trembling, the dregs of the cup of My fury; you shall no longer drink it.' Isaiah 51:22

Here's one bait and switch you want to be a part of. Yeah, I know it's not usually a good thing, but trust me on this one.

See, God has two cups-a cup of wrath, anger, and judgment, and a cup of blessing. I know, this sounds like a really hard choice, right? But here's the deal, every single person on the face of this planet throughout the entire history of the world was born with the first of these cups glued to their hands. Every day they lived only brought that cup of wrath and judgment closer to their lips, at which point they would be forced to drink it down to the dregs.

Do you know what dregs are? The dregs are the particles and sediment at the very bottom of the glass. That means that those who down that cup drink, not just a sip, but the whole thing. Down the hatch. Lick out the bottom. Leave nothing left. Just go and swallow and ingest God's entire wrath, anger, and judgment for your sin.

Happy thought? I don't think so. There's a reason this cup is also called the cup of trembling.

But it's not the only cup, remember? The other cup is a cup of blessing, and I mean, there is no cup that is more opposite the cup of God's wrath and judgment than the cup of His blessing. As much as His cup of wrath brings pain, destruction, punishment, and rejection forever, His cup of blessing brings healing, restoration, wholeness, and acceptance forever.

The only problem is that the cup of wrath is glued to our hands, right? And the cup of God's blessing is out of reach.

But God, in His incredible love and mercy, chose to switch cups with us. I know, who would do that, right? But God did. Jesus came to Earth to take the cup of wrath from our hands, drink it all Himself right down to the dregs, suffer and die in our place, bearing our sins and shame-and then He gave us the cup of blessing instead.

If you have Jesus in your heart, then you have the cup of blessing, thanksgiving, and love in your hands. His desire in exchanging cups with us wasn't just to take ours on Himself, but to give us His. Thank the Lord today and drink deeply to the dregs of His cup of blessing.

Prayer Lord Jesus,

I can't believe that You would make such an incredible exchange with me. Thank You for taking the cup of wrath and giving me Your cup of blessing instead! Please help me to remember the blessings You have given me and see the blessings that You still have in store for me!

Amen