A Look In A Mirror We Shouldn't Forget

     A life without mirrors would make for an interesting social dynamic. You would have to rely on how everyone described your appearance to figure out what you look like. You would also have to start being more brutally honest about your co-workers hair that day, or the goober hanging out of their nose. But say after years of these charades you were the first person to be able to use a mirror and see a reflection of your true image. It would surely be a sight that you wouldn't soon forget. I would imagine that picture would stay with you forever.
      A phrase I have heard many times is “take up your cross daily,” but I don’t feel I have truly grasped a full understanding of what that truly signified until recently. The meaning of these words of Jesus aren't all that different than seeing our reflection in the mirror and remembering what we look like throughout the day.  
      Matthew 16:24-26 “Then Jesus said to his disciples, ‘If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it. What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul?”
        The cross is the beginning of our new identity in Christ. This is because God made a New Covenant with us, salvation through His son Jesus Christ. While we were living our lives trying to be good enough, but still falling short of upholding every letter of the law to be righteous, God rescued us from that and made us alive in Him. Because of our Covenant with Christ, and His blood sacrificed for us, we are raised up with Him and seated in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. (Ephesians 2:1-10)
       From this we see that the beginning of our identity as Christians lies in what happened at the cross. This is the Gospel, and what the New Testament proclaims! We are a new creation alive in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17) because He overcame sin and death, so that we could have eternal life and abundant life now. I believe that taking up our cross daily means that we are reflecting on the image of our new identity, Jesus Christ, to understand who God has made us to be. God sees us as He sees his son Jesus. We sit with Him at the right hand of God (Luke 22:69, Eph 1:20, Eph 2:6) as He, Jesus Christ, speaks on our behalf. As we read about the riches of the Kingdom of God and see the life of Jesus and the apostles writings, we are looking into a mirror to see who God has made us to be and everything that is made available to us.
       In James 1:23 it says that “Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror and after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like.” Reflect daily in the mirror that holds our identity and that will bring about true life and fulfillment beyond anything we could ask or imagine, the Word of God. As we listen to the Word and hear the Word, approach it with an eagerness for understanding and committing it to memory so that we can truly remember who we are. The lowest points in our life, the lack in character, the words or actions we regret, the seasons of life where we seem lost and unsure of our worth or purpose, happen in a place where we have looked in the mirror and walked away forgetting who we are.
        I pray that God may continue to give you the spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. And that they eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. (Eph 1:17-23).

Digging and Finding

    At the end of July I took break from posting and writing to dive in and have a very focused and intentional few months of study. The last few months has been a great journey in study. It has felt like digging up the existing foundation and putting in a ten-story deep basement rooted most importantly in a deeper understanding of what covenant is and our Covenant relationship with God, who we are in Christ, How God sees us, why we needed a Savior, why sin separated us from God, why Jesus needed to die for our sins, what His sacrifice on the cross truly accomplished, the purpose of the Old Law, Romans, and Hebrews, to name a few of the highlights. I wanted to know more deeply these truths, because as I have found, understanding these things allows us to truly understand who we have been made to be.
     I have enjoyed and benefited much knowledge and wisdom from some great friends that I now have an even greater respect for, as well as the power of the Holy Spirit to bring revelation and insight to my long lists of questions. I look forward to sharing with you, each Monday, what God is continuing to teach me, and some pieces of what I have learned over the last few months.
    I am committed to Living a Legacy for Christ and empowering others to do the same, that they may experience the abundant life that God has in store for us now, and Live a Legacy that will bless generations to come.

Proverbs 13:22 “A good man leaves an inheritance for his children’s children...”

The Strength in Surrender

  True, wholehearted surrender to the one true God, is not giving up or a sign of weakness as some may perceive, but it is the point at which we recognize the magnitude of God’s greatness and power, experiencing the supernatural capacity of the one true God in our lives that will result in an outcome greater than we could ask or imagine. In truth, it is a sign of strength in every pursuit to experience a magnificence that could only be orchestrated by the One who holds the world together, desiring that we may experience the abundant life He intends for us.

The Lamp Of The Body - Part 6 - The Glory Of The Lord

Luke 11:33 Therefore, if your whole body is full of light, and no part of it dark, it will be just as full of light as when a lamp shines its light on you.”

In the last part of this series on The Lamp of the Body we will look at this last verse in the passage. When I read this two things immediately come to mind. First, as Christians, God’s glory shining on us and us reflecting his Glory in our lives because our focus is on Him, and second, the everlasting light of God’s Glory in Heaven, where there is no sun or moon and no darkness because the Glory of the Lord is what gives light to all of creation.

Isaiah 60:1-2 “Arise, shine, for your light has come and the glory of the Lord rises upon you. See, darkness covers the earth and thick darkness is over the peoples, but the Lord rises upon you and his glory appears over you. Nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn.

As our focus is on the Lord, His Glory appears over us as this scripture says, and that is what is reflected in our lives! Ladies and Gentlemen this story of the Gospel, forgiveness, salvation, and redemption, is about more than just an “insurance policy faith” to guarantee what happens when we die, but it is also about experiencing the abundant life now, the unsearchable riches of the Kingdom of God waiting to be discovered, to which God has given us full access and privilege.

I don’t pretend to know all of the details of Heaven and eternity, only One holds the insight to that, but scripture provides us glimpses of this amazing future that awaits when we pass from this earth and experience the fullness of the Kingdom of God in its entirety. As Christians, how do we know that we will go to Heaven and not Hell when we die? On that day, since we have one who speaks on our behalf, Jesus Christ (My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate with the Father—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. 2 He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.), we will be welcomed into Heaven, with our Saviour saying, “job well done good and faithful servant, come share in your master’s happiness.” It will be a place of unending joy with no pain, or hunger, or suffering. We will see the Glory of the Lord in His entirety, The True Light that will shine for all of eternity. The end of this passage of The Lamp of the Body sums up well the amazing beginning of eternity, where the Glory of the Lord will be our everlasting light!

Isaiah 60:19-20

The sun will no more be your light by day,

   nor will the brightness of the moon shine on you,

for the Lord will be your everlasting light,

   and your God will be your glory.

20 Your sun will never set again,

   and your moon will wane no more;

the Lord will be your everlasting light,

   and your days of sorrow will end.

Heaven will seem like it always was. There will be no more pain or sorrow, only true pure abundant life in the most euphoric place imaginable. All past memories will be able to be seen through the lens of the Kingdom of God. To quote C.S. Lewis making a speculation on Heaven in his book The Great Divorce, “For those in Heaven, it will work its way backward through time and seem as though it always was. “

May the light of God’s glory continue to be reflected in your life, as you are His children, and every day may we show the love of Christ in a way that Lives a Legacy for Him.

Proverbs 13:22 “A good man leaves an inheritance for his children’s children...”

The Lamp Of The Body - Part 5 - Righteousness is the New Law

Luke 11:36 Therefore, if your whole body is full of light, and no part of it dark, it will be completely lighted, as when the light of a lamp shines on you.

If I were to take all of the clean clothes in my closet and spend the entire day washing them, knowing full well that they are clean, people might think I was a little odd. Now if I were to spend each day doing this for the rest of my life people would come to the conclusion that I have completely lost it. I would imagine many of the comments would be similar to this, “What is he doing, those clothes are clean?” or “What a waste of time. He just finished washing those only hours earlier and now he is washing them again!” or “Doesn’t he understand that he doesn’t need to wash his clothes since they are already clean?”

This hypothetical scenario seems far fetched and maybe a little ridiculous, but we aren’t far off from that when we have asked for forgiveness and repented from our sins, received the gift of salvation, and we continue to live under the premonition that we are sinful, broken, and not pure. I would imagine that if I stood in front of a large body of Christians from all different denominations and asked people to raise their hands if they are righteous that I would get a smaller number of people with hands in the air than I would hope for.

When Jesus spoke these words “if your whole body is full of light, and no part of it dark, it will be completely lighted,” He was speaking to the fact that when His Grace and Love invade your life they take over and consume you. There is no room for darkness, and the sacrifice of Jesus’ life on the cross is what made it possible because His life was the atonement for all sins, and the ransom payment for our lives. When the focus shifts from a perception of “I am a sinner who is going to Heaven when I die,” to “I am righteous because I have accepted salvation, and I will spend eternity in Heaven.” The focus is on the promise we have accepted, and not the sin. The focus is on the truth of our identity. That is why in Ephesians 2:6-7 says “it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparably great riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus.” We are a new creation, and that is why it says that God raised us up with Christ. (2 Corinthians 5:17 “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone and the new has come.) We died to our old self, and we were raised with Christ as a new creation.

Jesus came to fulfill the law because we were unable to on our own (Matthew 5:17 “I have not come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them). Before Jesus came we were under the Old Law, having to try to be good enough, uphold all of the rules, and be righteous on our own. But since Jesus died on the cross, the New Law that we live under is Righteousness. Contrary to what many think, Christianity isn’t about upholding a bunch of rules and commandments. In John 6:28 the disciples ask Jesus what works God requires, and this is his response “Then they asked him, ‘What must we do to do the works God requires?’ Jesus answered,’The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent.”

Jesus continues with this in verse 36 “I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty. But as I told you, you have seen me and still you do not believe.”  Jesus continues to drive the point home with that response.  In this analogy, Jesus is speaking of spiritual hunger and thirst. He says we will never go unsatisfied and unfulfilled when we believe in the one God has sent, Jesus! He doesn’t reply that we must keep all of the commandments and all of the lists of law of the Old Covenant, or volunteer and give more time than anyone else at church, because Righteousness is the New Law, not works. All of this is because it is by grace we have been saved, through faith, and not by anything we have done to deserve it on our own but because it is a gift that we have accepted from God, and there is no amount of works that will make that gift more or less ours because it is not a result of our good deeds, it is a result of Jesus paying the ransom for our sin, and making us righteous in the eyes of God (Ephesians 2:8-9).

So when people say that Christians are hypocrites, they are missing the point of it all. We understand that we are by nature not perfect and have led sinful lives, and that is why all the more we need the gift of forgiveness and salvation that Jesus offers because we cannot uphold righteousness on our own. This is the vital point of Christianity.

It is and never will be about upholding a bunch of rules and regulations on our own. It is about accepting the gift of salvation, repenting of our sins and being forgiven, and living under the New Law of Righteousness by the power of God. There is a process that has to take place of uncovering who God has already made us to be, which naturally happens as we seek him. We chip away at the scales of our old self to uncover the new creation that God has made us. Will there be perfection? No. Will there be poor decisions that are made? Yes. And that is all the more reason why we need the Grace of God, because apart from Him we can’t be righteous and completely perfect on our own, apart from Him we can do nothing (John 15:5).

This is what Jesus referred to when He said “Therefore, if your whole body is full of light, and no part of it dark...” because that is what it looks like when we do the work of God, as it is laid out in John 6:29, to believe the one he has sent, Jesus. All good things of generosity, outreach, understanding and application of the Word of God, compassion, love, grace, things of Phillipians 4:8-9, and many more, come from doing the work of God, which is believing in Jesus. This is also affirmed in Matthew 6:33 where Jesus tells us to “Seek first His Kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” Believing in Jesus, the one God has sent, seeking Him first, having a relationship with Him, meeting with Him daily, and knowing Him through the Word and prayer should be our first concern.

If you have repented and accepted forgiveness for your sins and accepted the gift of salvation, you are righteous in the eyes of God! Righteousness is the new law!

                                                       Proverbs 13:22 “A good man leaves an inheritance for his children’s children...”

The Lamp of The Body - Part 4 - See To It That The Light Within You Is Not Darkness

There is nothing more frustrating than during a power outage, roadside repair, or emergency situation going to get the flashlight, and clicking the power button to find your surroundings are still dark as a result of the flashlight not working. Without batteries or a working bulb, the flashlight is more useful as a hammer than it is emitting light.

Continuing into part four of the Lamp of the Body series, we are going to look at Luke 11:35... See to it that the light that is in you is not darkness.

At face value this verse seems like an odd statement. How can light be darkness? It seems like an oxymoron. Once again, Jesus’ teachings give us understanding into this verse and how it should be applied to our lives. We will briefly look at three different teachings of Jesus that will provide this insight.

One way that the light within us can be darkness is when we try to do good things, the right things, to try and validate ourselves as Christians or feel more righteous. We are doing these things to be more righteous and have the fruit to show for being a really good person. But when we try to emulate those things without Jesus, our deeds will be fruitless, just like a branch not being able to produce fruit or live apart from the vine, so we cannot produce fruit and live abundantly apart from God. John 15:4 Jesus said “Remain in me and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.” Our actions and words must be to only please the Father. If our motive is anything other, we are missing the whole picture. We are trying to produce the fruit of righteousness by our own accord, letting our light become darkness. When we seek Him first, the product of our ministry comes out of an overflow. When that is the case it is contagious and ignites fire and life in others. When our fruit is truly from the vine (John 15:5) and is a bi-product of delight rather than duty, it is life giving because it is the result of a relationship, and not our own efforts to create feelings, experiences, and change. It is here we experience his hope, rest, and provision.

Jesus warned about the Pharisees of the time who were living a life of religion for the honor among men, high seats at the banquets, and to be considered more holy than others.

Luke 20:45 While all the people were listening, Jesus said to his disciples, “Beware of the teachers of the law. They like to walk around in flowing robes and love to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces and have the most important seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at banquets. They devour widows’ houses and for a show make lengthy prayers. These men will be punished most severely.

Our deeds can sometimes be done with wrong intentions, not for God’s Glory, but rather to try and impress other people. Continual investment in this makes our light darkness because it is no longer the light of Christ shining through us, it is us trying to emulate that light by means of our own effort.

What Jesus is saying here is see to it that your good deeds are not for men, see to it that your giving is not for your own glory, see to it that your devotion is not just religion, see to it that your desire is not money or anything other than Him, because it is here (Matthew 6:33)  that we will find true freedom, fulfillment in life, unending joy, and a light that radiates like a lamp on a stand, a city on a hill, and shines so bright that it dispels all darkness.

Join me next time for the final installment of the Lamp of The Body Series on God's glory and the glimpse into eternity that Scripture gives us.

                               Proverbs 13:22 “A good man leaves an inheritance for his children’s children...”

The Lamp of The Body - Part 3 - The Eye Is The Lamp of The Body

In elementary school I remember the days that we would get to watch a film in class. It was always exciting to have a break from the normal routine and do something different. The teacher would get out the reel of film and put it on the projector, and as it fluttered through the machine the pictures of the film strip were displayed on the the screen for the class to see. The warbled audio and bright fluttered picture would always captivate a class of elementary school kids.

In the same way, whatever goes in our body is lighted and reflected outward. Our body is a lamp that project what is put in front of the lens, our eyes and mind. Something will always occupy the space in our minds, and we have to be intentional to fill it with the right things so there isn’t space for the other things that will drag us down.

Proverbs 3:3-6 “Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart. Then you will win favor and a good name in the sight of God and man. Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.”

Athletes are constantly monitoring the food that they intake to make sure that they will get optimum performance from their body. If they put in good fuel, then their bodies will function at peak performance as they were designed. But if they fill their bodies with any and every craving for the sweet treats and tempting foods, they will find themselves inhibited and their bodies not working to the full potential. The same thing is true for each of us with what we intake into our hearts and minds. So.... “Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.” (Proverbs 4:23).

I was once showed this graphic analogy that always stuck with me, and I feel relates well to the topic at hand. If you open up a fresh bottle of water, there would be no hesitation in drinking its contents. It is pure and clean and will give your body what it needs. But place a tiny piece of dog poop in the same bottle of water, and most people wouldn’t drink it for $100. While it is just a tiny speck, it contaminates the whole bottle of water and renders it useless for its purpose. That same reasoning is why Jesus says what He does in Matthew 5:29 “If your right eye causes you to sin, gouge it out. For it is better for you to loose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell.” Whatever thing in your life that is filling your reservoir up with unwanted pieces, it is better to loose those relationships, or that piece of technology, or that food or drink, or next best thing, rather than find your entire self useless for the purpose you were created and on a path of destruction.

When we pour over the scriptures and let the truth consume us, a brilliant light radiates, even greater than those little film projectors from elementary school. The glory and radiance of God shining through us is the result...... “Isaiah 58:8 “Then your light will break forth like the dawn, and your healing will quickly appear; then your righteousness will go before you, and the glory of the Lord will be your rear guard.” Isaiah 58:10)

This is the natural result of knowing Christ. But it is only when we commit to seeking Him first. If we seek to shine and radiate light apart from the source, there will always be darkness because we are not seeking the source of true light. We directly reflect the object of our attention, and God’s glory described in Isaiah 60:1-2 is what is reflected when He is our focus.

Isaiah 60:1-2 “Arise, shine, for your light has come,

   and the glory of the Lord rises upon you.

2 See, darkness covers the earth

   and thick darkness is over the peoples,

but the Lord rises upon you

   and his glory appears over you.

Seek first His Kingdom and righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Mathew 6:33

Join me next time for part for of this series on the Lamp of the Body, See To It That The Light Within You is Not Darkness.

The Lamp of the Body Part 2 - A Light Put On Display For All To See

Every year I take a trip out to Colorado or Wyoming with a group of guys with Flatline Adventures. We spend time hiking, mountain biking, rock climbing, and have some great adventures. Of all the beautiful scenery that I have seen on these trips over the last 7 years, one sticks in my mind. When at Jones Park in Colorado Springs, we hike down from the place we set up camp, and there high up on the mountain is a clearing that allows you to see across the state of Colorado. On a clear night you can see every light in the big nearby cities. It is a magnificent light show that shimmers in the beautiful view. It is one of the coolest sights. I would imagine if that city were on top of the mountain lighting it up, it would be just as spectacular from ground level, and visible for miles and miles.....

Last time I shared about the truth of our salvation, how God’s Spirit lives in us, our new identity, and how we are seen just as Christ is seen by God. Today, I will continue in this 5 part series as we look through the eyes of Christ on calvary, and talk about this light that is not hidden, but put on display for all to see.

Luke 11:33 No one lights a lamp and puts it in a place where it will be hidden, or under a bowl. Instead he puts it on its stand, so that those who come in may see the light.

At the time, many saw Jesus death on the cross as the end, defeat, and no more, but in actuality His death and resurrection were the decisive blow against Satan, taking back life, overcoming death, and redeeming all of mankind. Jesus looked at the cross with joy set before Him because He knew the result.

Hebrews 12:2 “Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

The joy set before Him was knowing that you and I would have the chance to be saved and redeemed. His love is so deep and burns so intensely for us that He willingly endured one of the most agonizing deaths imaginable so that we may have life abundant.

Christ made a public spectacle of this decisive blow against Satan so that all of creation in Heaven, Hell, and earth could see the triumph over all powers and authorities,  by the power of the Cross.

  Colossians 2:13 “When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, having canceled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us; he took it away, nailing it to the cross. And having disarmed the powers and authorities. he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.”

Jesus pursued the hill carrying his cross with the joy set before him of freeing mankind from death and separation from God. He carried the heavy planks that he would give his life on to the top of the hill for the very people that were beating him, spitting on him, hurling insults, and cursing His name. Jesus was the light on the hill, proclaiming victory over the sin of all mankind, once and for all. Jesus was a light set on a high place for all to see and for God’s glory to shine, even in mankind's darkest hour. (Matthew 5:14 “You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden.”)

As people were mourning and wailing for Jesus as he was being led to the cross, Jesus said in Luke 23:28 not to weep for him, because he knew the victory and triumph that was about to take place in his death and resurrection.

In Matthew 27:40 some scoffers were yelling at him “Come down off the cross if you are the Son of God.” But really, Jesus stayed on the cross because He is the Son of God, knowing his sacrifice was necessary to save mankind. The sin of mankind separated us from God, but because of Christ sacrifice we can be united with Him through the salvation offered us by God’s grace. Romans 6:23 - For the wages which sin pays is death, but the [bountiful] free gift of God is eternal life through (in union with) Jesus Christ our Lord. (AMP)

This is the Gospel, the good news of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection. It is the power of God that has given us salvation, and is the light that is put on display for all to see. Jesus made a public spectacle of it, so that it may shine through us, as our body is the lamp.

Romans 1:16 - For I am not ashamed of the Gospel (good news) of Christ, for it is God’s power working unto salvation [for deliverance from eternal death] to everyone who believes with a personal trust and a confident surrender and firm reliance

Join me next time for the third part of this series, The Eye Is The Lamp Of The Body, as we look at the next verse of this parable. Luke 11:34 Your eye is the lamp of your body. When your eyes are healthy, your whole body also is full of light. But when they are unhealthy, your body also is full of darkness.

The Lamp of the Body - Part 1 - A Light Not to Be Hidden

                                  The Lamp of the Body

         33 “No one lights a lamp and puts it in a place where it will be hidden, or under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, so that those who come in may see the light. 34 Your eye is the lamp of your body. When your eyes are healthy,[g] your whole body also is full of light. But when they are unhealthy,[h] your body also is full of darkness. 35 See to it, then, that the light within you is not darkness. 36 Therefore, if your whole body is full of light, and no part of it dark, it will be just as full of light as when a lamp shines its light on you.”

The purpose of a lamp seems obvious to most, to shine for all to see, to light up a room, and to dispel darkness so that we can see. The Parable of the Lamp of the Body that Jesus told is making a parallel between a physical truth and a spiritual truth, something that exists in the physical sense for us to see or touch or experience, that helps us understand a spiritual truth that we cannot necessarily touch or feel in a tangible way, but that has great effect on our lives each day.

As believers in Christ, we are full of light. As our eyes are fixed on Jesus, the object of our focus, His Glory is reflected through us. Our purpose is to know God and His son Jesus and seek Him first, and like light in a mirror we will reflect the object of our focus. If our focus is daily on Christ, then our reflection will be of the things listed in Phillipians 4:8-9 as those things are who Christ is. The light as it is referred to in this passage is God’s glory shining through us, and this is why it shines through us.

Phillipians 4:8-9 Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice.And the God of peace will be with you.

When we accepted salvation we were filled with the Holy Spirit (Eph. 1:12 “Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession - to the praise of his glory.”) We are forgiven our sins, God sees us as righteous, and His Spirit lives in us. God cannot be a part of sin or have anything to do with sin. Since we have died to our old self, the sinful self, He sees us as righteous. 2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ he is a new creation; the old has gone the new has come.

We are raised with Christ who is seated at the right hand of God. The highest place for the most humble hearts. Ephesians 2:6 And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in hi kindness to us in Christ Jesus.

We can affirm this another way. The prophet Isaiah, writing Gods words, wrote a description of Jesus the Savior of the world 700 years before He walked the earth. Isaiah 59:16-17. Then Paul writes while he is in prison in Rome for sharing the Gospel, the book of Ephesians through revelation the Lord has given him. He ends the letter by encouraging all believers to stand firm in the spiritual armor we are suited with because we are one in Christ

“13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” Ephesians 6:13-17).

Notice that the description of believers in the armor of God is the same as Christ is described 750 years prior to Pauls account. We are one with Christ!

We have established why God’s glory shines through us, and the new life that we have in Christ as we are seen as righteous, forgiven, and redeemed of all of our sins. Join me next time as we look through the eyes of Christ on Calvary, what we can learn about how this great truth came to pass, and how Christ shined like a city on a hill when He made a public spectacle of the victory of the cross.

Pink Balloon Giving

    I was out in our back yard playing with my daughter when I saw a pink balloon that hadn’t been there 5 minutes earlier. Interested, we went over to check it out. As with any kid, my daughter loves balloons. There is something about them being suspended in the air that puts kids in a state of awe and amazement, and allows them to play with the balloon for an indefinite amount of time without tiring. When I went over to pick up the pink balloon that had fallen from the sky, I noticed there was writing on it that said, “To: God From: Lana.”
    When I saw this I smiled so big. Knowing how valuable balloons are to kids (especially the ones filled with helium) I thought it was so neat that Lana decided that she wanted to freely give it to God; what an amazing expression of love!
     This kind of generous, joyful giving reminds me of the story of the Widow’s Offering.

                         The Widow’s Offering 41 
        Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were        
      put and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury. Many rich      
      people threw in large amounts. 42 But a poor widow came and put in two very small
      copper coins, worth only a few cents. 43 Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said,          
     “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. 44
      They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything—all
      she had to live on.”

      Lana gave what was most valuable to her at the time back to God because of His love for her. In the same way, as we are filled with gratitude and appreciation for the love of Christ that has changed our lives and given us abundant life now, one of the expressions of love we can show is giving back to God. Not only is it an expression of love that pleases the Lord, but it is something that God has commanded because He knows that it will bring freedom in our lives. Giving 10%, the firstfruits of our income, will bring more blessings in your life than you will be able to count, and we know that God will use the resources of time and money that we give back to exponentially bless others.
      This kind of joyful “Pink Balloon Giving” can be something that frees us from serving money, worrying about finances, and being consumed with “stuff”. It is above and beyond the usual 10%, but it will bring joy, freedom, and abundant blessing from the Lord.
        I challenge you to “Pink Balloon Giving” and find what God has intended for you.
     
 Malachi 3:10 “Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my storehouse. Test me in this,” says the Lord Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it.”


 Boom!

The Fruit of Humility

In humbleness we find fulfillment and life. It is there, at the understanding of not knowing, that we will find all insight, wisdom, and revelation through our omniscient God because of His son Jesus; we will be anointed in the Holy Spirit, that will enable us and propel us to have the capacity to be consumed with the will of God that drives our hearts toward love and action. May our hearts be so consumed with Him, that the only thing possible for us to do is walk in His will.

Proverbs 22:4 “Humility and the fear of the Lord bring wealth and honor and life.”

Put Down the Balls!

     One of the many Legacy’s my Dad has given me is the power of His life verse. My Dad’s life verse is Matthew 6:33 “But seek first His Kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” And this last week it brought renewal, revival, and refreshment to the heavy load I was carrying around.
      As I found myself overwhelmed with trying to juggle my passions, goals, and pursuits it seemed like I was maintaining mediocrity at best when I desired excellence in all areas. When I was starting to feel good about one area, the others seemed to be neglected. As I was studying my scripture memory cards one night I felt God’s prompting to spend this week memorizing my Dad’s life verse. I spent as much time as I could with this verse while praying, running, driving, and studying. As I was driving in to work one morning and God's reminder hit me like a brick in the face. Here I was trying to juggle all of these different things at the same level of importance as my relationship with the Lord, and I was feeling stretched thin and burnt out because 100% of my focus wasn't on the right thing, God. I felt God telling me that if I do exactly like this verse said and “Seek Him first,” then all of the other passions and desires that He has given me will fall into place. So I pressed the reset button, put down all of the balls I was trying to juggle, and set my focus on Him.
      Setting out to be diligent and disciplined about this over the last seven days, I have experienced God’s power and grace in an amazing way. This was one of the busiest weeks I have had in awhile and it seemed that when I had free time my minutes were like hours and I was incredibly productive. My time with the Lord was fruitful and empowering and filled me up to the point of overflowing. When it was late at night or early in the morning I had the motivation and energy to get up and study, do my workouts, and practice. When with my wife and daughter God’s love seemed to poor out of an endless supply. Before, I had been spending time with the Lord daily, but when I made Him my primary desire it was a game changer.
      God is a God that “is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us,” (Ephesians 3:20) and when we seek Him first, He will take all of the passions and desires that He has put in us and work them together, laboring out of His energy (Colossians 1:29), to do exceedingly and abundantly more than all we could ask or imagine.

     This week, put God as your focus, spending time with Him first and foremost at the beginning of your day, reading the Bible, praying, and memorizing His Word, and watch how He will blow it out of the water and do exceedingly and abundantly more than you could ask or imagine.

                                               

                                                   Proverbs 13:22 “A good man leaves an inheritance for his children’s children...”