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  • Not I, but Christ! 

    Galatians 2:20 “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.”

    Galatians 2:20 is a tremendous summation verse of who we are as Christians! We are to view ourselves as having been crucified with Christ! Thus, the old life we had is to be viewed as dead! We now have a new life, and that life is Christ (who rose from the dead!)  Christ lives in the believer! 

    Read this and let it settle in your heart: Jesus Christ lives in the believer.  If you are a believer Christ lives in you!  

    A believer lives in Christ, and Christ lives in the believer.  

    What does this mean?  I was taught it means the indwelling Christ controls all of our life!  We live life like Christ because it is Christ who lives in us.

    For this to be lived out we live by faith, trusting His guidance in our lives.  His guidance is best as He loves us the most. He loved us so much that He gave Himself.  He gave His life – for us, for you.

    Does the indwelling Christ control all your life?  Do you understand that your old life is to be considered dead (Romans 6:6-13) Are you living life by faith in the Son of God?   Are you growing in comprehension of just how much Jesus loves you and how much He did for you? 

    Christ loves you!  As a believer, Christ lives in you!

    Continue Strong,
    And remember to DATE The Word

  • Evaluating Your Experiences with God

    Luke 2:19 “But Mary treasured up all these things, and pondered them in her heart.”

    Think about how much the life of Mary, the mother of Jesus, changed in 9 short months. One day she is doing her daily routine in Nazareth, thinking about becoming a wife to a great guy named Joseph. Next thing you know there is the angel Gabriel appearing to her and announcing she is going to have a baby boy, but it will not be any ordinary child. Matter of fact, she is told, “And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name Jesus. 32 “He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. 33 “And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end.” (Luke 1:31-33)  

    Overwhelmed with this news, she now asked how this was going to happen since “she did not know a man?” She then hears “the angel Gabriel answer and says to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God.”  This has become no ordinary day!

    Mary then makes the life-changing decision to say she is the Lord’s maidservant.  In other words, she surrendered all, having decided to follow Jesus no turning back, no turning back. Nothing would ever be the same.  

    We fast forward in her story, and we find her and Joseph arriving in Bethlehem, where she gives birth to a son.  With no room in any of the inns, her precious child is born in a manger, in a shepherd’s cave, in a place where lambs were born.  Soon afterwards their rest is interrupted by visitors. Shepherds who were tending sheep not far away came to see what they had been told by an Angel and then angels.  Most likely, upon their arrival they tell Mary that angels showed up and announced that “there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.”  They most likely told her how “a multitude of the heavenly host were praising God and saying:  “Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!”   For Mary, it was another day that was anything about ordinary.

    Luke now writes of some interesting actions that Mary did in Luke 2:19. He writes, “And Mary treasured up all these things, and pondered them in her heart.”   She treasured up every action of the last 9 months.  Think of a baby book. Mary keeps everything she hears and everything that happens in her heart.  (One has to wonder if she “showed” her baby book to Luke.)  

    She not only treasured the moments she pondered on them.  She sought to compare and understand the things she had heard, the things she experienced, and the things she saw.   She pondered.  She thought about these things.  More than just keeping a journal she sought to understand how God was working and what it meant.  Make no mistake Mary is a deeply spiritual woman.  She is evaluating what God was doing and how His actions impacted her.  

    Are you racing through life or are you running the race that is set before and as you run you have special times to recap what has been happening as well as ponder the meaning of what has been happening. Do you evaluate your experiences to see how God was working? By the way, a teenager named David did.  He realized a lot more was happening when he killed a bear, and he killed a lion. As he evaluated those experiences, he realized that God was working to protect him and strengthen him. Having evaluated those experiences he knew that he could kill an ungodly giant because God would deliver Him as He had with the bear and the lion.  

    From Mary (and David) we learn a growth tool for our spiritual lives in which we evaluate our experiences. 

    Are the actions of treasuring up and pondering by Mary happening occasionally with you?  Take time to pause right now to ponder what God has been doing in you, around you, and through you.

    Continue Strong journaling and pondering about the journey He has you on,
    And remember to DATE the Word

  • All Access to the Heavenly Father

    Ephesians 2:18 “For through Him we both have access by one Spirit to the Father.”

    CLOSED.  CLOSED.  Think about the meaning of that word, closed.  Think of a time you saw that word and what your immediate feelings were.  Like a time you just pulled off the Interstate to go the bathroom and the sign on the bathroom door read closed.  Closed is a word that brings about a variety of emotional reactions, which usually are negative (Unless you are a student (or teacher) and school is closed). You just pulled up to your favorite restaurant, and the sign says closed. You are running low on gas, and you pull off the Interstate, and the gas station has a sign saying closed.  You get to your favorite amusement park and the moose is holding a sign saying Sorry folks, we’re closed. (Yes I got a sermon illustration from National Lampoon’s Vacation).

    CLOSED! How does that word hit you? What does it say to you?  Cut off –  blocked –  unavailable!  Not open!!!  Inaccessible.  No access.

    Inaccessible – let that word sink in. That is a powerful word to describe our ability to enter heaven/  To the lost person it is closed.  Heaven is inaccessible.   Let that thought sink in.

    Heaven is inaccessible but Jesus Christ made it accessible! Jesus Christ opened – what a beautiful word – opened the door of heaven and gave to those who accept Him access, all access, to the Father!

    For a believer – one who has repented and received Christ as Savior – one who is born again – one who has called on the Lord and is saved they no longer face the closed sign of heaven’s door.  Heaven is no longer inaccessible! The believer has access!   The believer has so much access to the Father the believer “come boldly to the throne of grace, that they may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”  (Hebrews 4:16)

    What a Savior! What a salvation!

    If you have not received Christ the opportunity is still open!  Christ offers an invitation.  Revelation 22:17 says, “And the Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” And let him who hears say, “Come!” And let him who thirsts come. Whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely.”

    Do you have your all-access pass for Heaven?  

    Continue Strong knowing what you have in Jesus!
    And remember to DATE The Word

  • Casting the Vision

    Nehemiah 2:17 “Then I said to them, “You see the distress that we are in, how Jerusalem lies in waste, and its gates are burned with fire. Come and let us build the wall of Jerusalem, that we may no longer be a reproach.” 

    As one reads the Book of Nehemiah we encounter a man daring to dream a dream that will make life better for others!  Miles away in a palace in Shushan. Nehemiah, the cupbearer to the king. heard the horrible conditions of a place (Jerusalem) and a people (the Jews). He heard that the walls of Jerusalem remained broken down and that gates that were burnt down had never been replaced. This left the people living there in great distress.  As he hears what is broken, his heart is broken, and he is moved to take action to make a difference.  He will ultimately receive permission from his boss (the king) to go to Jerusalem.  Upon arriving, he will see first-hand the horrible conditions, which was even more heart-wrenching.  He knows this cannot continue.  Changes must happen and it must happen now, regardless of obstacles and opposition.  He is determined to end the great distress of people.  He dares to dream!

    The story of Nehemiah is very inspiring, is it not? We have a man who hears and sees a people and a place in great distress and he dreams of doing something that will make a difference so people will have better lives!  As he dreams of making this difference, he realizes that one is too small of a number to make a difference. (Thank you Dr. John Maxwell for the powerful thought).  He knows he must have help.  The dreamer must become a recruiter.  While he has the cause he must now cast the vision for others to join.  Nehemiah’s dream has to move from “my dream” to “our dream.”  As he has decided to own the dream, he must get others to own the dream!  He must now cast the vision!

    Today’s verse is the casting of that vision.  It is the communication of the concerns that have created the cause and call for others to commit to the dreamer’s cause and make the dream, the cause, their cause. Re-read Nehemiah 2:17. It says, “Then I (Nehemiah) said to them, “You see the distress that we are in, how Jerusalem lies waste, and its gates are burned with fire. Come and let us build the wall of Jerusalem, that we may no longer be a reproach.” 

    I have no idea if Nehemiah had a speech class.  I don’t know if he read a book on how to be an effective communicator. What I do know is Nehemiah 2:17 sets the standard for how someone is supposed to cast a vision.  

    For those who are leaders and those who want to learn to be a leader, you are going to have to clearly and concisely communicate the vision, the dream, and the cause that God has given you to people. Yes, to people.  People, your people, have to see what you see! I recommend that you study Nehemiah, especially Nehemiah 2:17.  In this one verse a leader gives a clear, concise explanation of the concerns with a clear, concise call for a commitment to bring in others to join in the cause to bring about the needed change.  Nehemiah reveals the cause (rebuild the walls) and gives reasons to commit to being involved (that we may no longer be a reproach) with a clear, concise call for others to commit to the cause (come and let us.)

    How are you at casting vision?  Evaluate yourself by how Nehemiah did it.  

    A leader’s responsibility is to create the future.  Communicating clearly the cause is crucial to involving others to commit, and answering the call to action!

    Continue Strong, 
    And remember to DATE The Word

  • Faith Alone in Jesus Brings Justification

    Galatians 2:16 “Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, that we might be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law; for by the works of the law no flesh shall be justified.”

    Job asked in Job 9:2 “How can a man be righteous before God?”  As we search the Scriptures, the answers are clear, for the Bible teaches how a person is made right with God and how a man is not made right with God.  Over and over Scripture conveys the truth that a person is not made right with God by works.  A man is made right only by faith alone in Jesus Christ. These two answers are conveyed in Galatians 2:16.

    From Galatians 2:16 we read first “that a man is not justified by the works of the law.”  Works do not work! Your works, no matter how good they are, no matter how many they are, will not save you.  You can never do enough for the scales to balance much less favor you as your weight of sin is too heavy.   While it might seem a worthy effort to keep the law, James tells us in James 2:10 that “whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumbles in one point, he is guilty of all.”  If you tell the smallest of a lie, you are guilty of all.  If you have that one lustful thought, you are guilty of all.  If you have that one hateful thought, you are guilty of all.  In other words, no matter how good you are and how much good works you do you still miss the mark set by God.

    The question of how can a man be righteous before God remains.

    Galatians 2:16 has the answer.  A person is saved, made right with God, “by faith in Jesus Christ!”  A person is made right with God by faith alone in Jesus Christ as He justifies you and declares you righteous. In what is the greatest exchange Jesus takes your sins and gives to you who have by faith trusted in His atoning work that He did at the cross His righteousness. (2 Cor. 5:21) You, by faith in Jesus, are righteous before God! 

    Making this practical: If I were sitting at a table having a cup of coffee with you and I asked you if you were going to go to heaven when you die – if asked if you are saved – and you answered that you hope so I would ask you why are you hoping? Is it because you are concerned you have not done enough good works, good deeds, to outweigh your bad works, bad deeds? Would your hope so be because you are concerned you are not good enough?  

    If I heard you say that you “hoped to go to heaven” I would politely tell you that I do not have a “hope so” salvation. I have a “know so” salvation because on the evening of February 15, 1983, I stopped trusting my works and trusted in the work that Jesus Christ did!!  Galatians 2:16 became real for me as I quit trusting in my works and my effort to do as many good deeds as possible to offset my bad deeds.   I realized once and for all that my only hope of ever being right with God was to trust Jesus and trust Him alone by faith for my salvation.  And based on His Word, His promise, I now know that when I die, I will be in Heaven with Him.  He is presently preparing me a place!  

    The sad truth is there are going to be good people in hell because they believed a false message that good works work.  They don’t.  Please put your trust in Jesus! Your works don’t work! Only His work does work!! 

    Our Works don’t work!

    Continue Strong knowing by faith in Jesus Christ you are saved,
    And remember to DATE The Word

  • Protect at All Costs What is Most Valuable

    Song of Solomon 2:15 says, “Catch us the foxes, The little foxes that spoil the vines, for our vines have tender grapes.”

    As Solomon in Song of Solomon 2 tells how a relationship between a couple is growing, he knows that temptations are natural.  To help the couple protect their relationship, he illustrates how foxes – little foxes – can destroy a vineyard’s most valuable product by destroying the tender grapes.  His illustration is how sin destroys a person’s future fruitfulness.  To protect the relationship from sinful actions he uses the word catch, catch the foxes, even the little foxes.  Thus, the main teaching is for you to be proactive and prevent this from happening.  We are not to let the devil, or any temptation have even the smallest footholds in our lives.  Ephesians 4:27 says to not give place or opportunity to the devil.  

    We are to guard or protect our testimony by guarding our hearts! Proverbs 4:23 tells us to “Keep our heart with all diligence, For out of it spring the issues of life.”  

    In catching the little foxes we are catching quickly any temptation so that it does not have any chance to succeed.  I believe it was Charles Spurgeon who said a temptation can be likened to a bird that is seeking to build a nest.  Just because a bird (temptation) is flying around your head does not mean you have to let it build a nest in your head.   To catch the little foxes then is to catch the thoughts as Paul taught in 2 Corinthians 10:3-5.  Paul says, “For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. 4  For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, 5  casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ,”

    We refer again to the simple children’s song for some of the best instructions on how to protect what is most valuable.  Recall the song Oh, be careful.

    Oh, be careful, little eyes what you see.  
    Oh, be careful, little ears, what you hear.  
    Oh, be careful, little tongue what you say.  
    Oh, be careful, little mind what you think.  
    Oh, be careful, little hand, what you do.  
    Oh, be careful, little feet, where you go.  

    Heed the admonition today and be proactive to catch the little foxes before they have a chance to destroy what is most valuable.  

    Continue strong being alert to sneak attacks
    And remember to DATE the Word

  • With God, Love is Spelled G-A-V-E

    Titus 2:14 “Who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works.”

    On Valentine’s Day, our thoughts naturally turn to love.  While Titus 2:14 does not have the word love in it, it is saturated with love as it tells how Jesus Christ gave Himself for us.  He gave Himself so we could be redeemed, as we could never pay the price that was owed.  His death purchased us out of the slave market of sin.  He gave Himself to clean us from our filthiness and stains of sin that we could never get clean.  He gave Himself so He could have us as His own special people, called in Ephesians His bride.  

    Notice some of the best verses about God’s Love, sometimes spelled G-A-V-E:

    1 John 3:1 Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God!
    Ephesians 5:2  And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma.
    Jeremiah 31:3 The LORD has appeared of old to me, saying: “Yes, I have loved you with an everlasting love; Therefore with lovingkindness, I have drawn you.
    Ephesians 2:4 But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us,
    Revelation 1:5  From Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler over the kings of the earth. To Him who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood,  6 and has made us kings and priests to His God and Father, to Him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.
    1 Timothy 2:6 who gave Himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time,
    Ephesians 1:7  In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace
    Romans 5:8  but God shows His love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
    1 John 4:9 In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him.
    1 John 4:10 In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us & sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.
    John 10:11  I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep.
    John 15:12 This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.
    John 15:13  Greater love has no one than this than to lay down one’s life for His friends.
    John 13:34-35 A new commandment I give to you, that you LOVE one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. 
    Titus 2:14 Who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works.
    1 Timothy 1:15  This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief.
    John 3:16  “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
    1 John 3:16 By this we know love because He laid down His life for us. Thus we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.
    1 Peter 3:18 For Christ also suffered for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive in the spirit,

    On this Valentine’s Day remember that with outstretched hands upon a rugged wooden cross, Jesus Christ shouts I LOVE YOU.  He calls to you to be mine!   Have accepted Him?  

    Oh, how Jesus loved and loves us!  Oh, how Jesus loved you and loves you!

    Continue Strong knowing Jesus loves you!  
    And remember to DATE The Word

  • In Christ Jesus Means We Are In 

    Ephesians 2:13 “But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.”

    Have you ever been on the “outside” and made to feel that you could never be a part of the in-group?  From family, friends, work, social gatherings, even at a church you were an outsider.  For you, the doors were always closed.  The signs of no access were posted loud and clear.  You were not going in.  

    As the Apostle Paul writes to the Ephesians who are very much outsiders to things of God as they were mainly Gentiles. As he writes, he wants them to know what they have by being a Christian. In Ephesians 2 he compares several times their past life with their present life. Verse 13 starts with but now to convey what they have presently as compared to what they did not have in the past. And what they have, and we have is they are, and we are in Christ!

    By being in Christ, we have some of the most incredible benefits, such as having been far off – or as some may say, far out – or far away from God, we have been brought near to God.  Being brought near to God happens because of what Jesus did in shedding His blood for us.  As sinners, we could not even think about approaching a holy God, but now, because we have accepted Christ and have been saved, justified, redeemed, reconciled, and adopted, we can approach the throne of grace boldly!  There is no more sign of no access!  

    Being in Christ means we are in, no longer out! What a Savior!

    To every outsider, Christ invites you to come in!

    Continue Strong knowing what you have in Christ,
    And remember to DATE the Word

  • Living in a Manner Worthy of the Calling

    1 Thessalonians 2:12 “We exhorted each one of you and encouraged you and charged you to walk in a manner worthy of God, who calls you into His own kingdom and glory.”

    As I read the letters of the apostle Paul it is clear that he was passionate about the idea that a believer is to walk/live worthy of God.  He was passionate in his pleas for the believer to please god. This theme is stated over and over in letter after letter.  Along with his charge we just read to the Thessalonians, he would write:
    To the Ephesians in 4:1 “I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called,”
    To the Philippians in 1:27 “Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel,”
    To the Colossians in1:10 “so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him,” 
    Here in 1 Thessalonians 2:11-12 “we exhorted each one of you and encouraged you and charged you to walk in a manner worthy of God, who calls you into his own kingdom and glory.
    To the Corinthians, he wrote in 2 Corinthians 5:9, “Therefore we make it our aim, whether present or absent, to be well pleasing to Him.”
    To the Ephesians, he appealed in Ephesians 5:10 that they would “discern what is pleasing to the Lord.”

    What is your purpose as a believer based on the verses you have read?  In considering the charge and exhortation of the Apostle Paul that “you would walk worthy of God who calls you into His own kingdom and glory” what should be your top priority?   The answer is easy, is it not?  We should be living to please Him!

    The question then is how do you go about day by day, minute by minute, living a life that is worthy of God, who has made you part of His family and of His kingdom?  

    For me, it is having questions that serve as a filter for decision-making, such as: does this action or attitude live up to the expectations of my Lord?  Is the action acceptable to the Lord?  Does the action/attitude please Him?

    Another answer we might give is to live like Jesus as He pleased His heavenly Father.  In seeking to live like Jesus we need to abide in and with Jesus because who we hang around is who we become.   Decide to abide with Jesus, and you will find yourself living life Jesus, and then you will be doing things worthy of your calling!

    Continue Strong living worthy of your high calling!
    And remember to DATE The Word

  • A Proper Response to the Savior

    Matthew 2:11 “And when they (the wise men) had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary, His mother and fell down and worshiped Him. And when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him: gold, frankincense, and myrrh.” 

    Even though we are in February, just days from Valentine’s Day, I could not resist using Matthew 2:11 for February 11. I do recall from the movie A Christmas Carol that Scrooge said, “I will honor Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year. Thus, we seek to learn and live out lessons from Christmas all year and will do so by looking at Matthew as well as Luke 2:11.

    These two verses tell of the most amazing announcement the human race could hear and the most incredible response to the savior.  The amazing announcement of a savior brings us the answer to our greatest problem as sinners.  The response of the wise men challenges us and inspires us on how to respond to the Savior. 

    Let us first consider the amazing announcement.   While each word has significance the word savior stands out above the rest.  Jesus came to save.  Matthew 1:21 says, “And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.”  Luke 19:10 tells us, “The Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.”  His purpose in coming and being born was to be our savior!  

    How do we respond?  From Matthew 2:11, we read of how Wisemen came to Him, and they fell down and worshipped Him.  What these Wisemen did was a preview of what is happening in heaven.  Revelation tells several times of those in heaven falling down, bowing down, laying prostrate before the Lamb, the Savior, and worshipping Him.   

    When was the last time you fell down, knelt down, bowed down, and laid prostrate before the Lamb?  When was the last time you poured yourself out in worship? Worship comes from a word meaning to count worthy.  Our worship is considering the Lamb worthy; thus, from your heart comes worthy is the Lamb!  

    Their response continues with generosity.  They gave, they presented gifts to Him: gold, frankincense, and myrrh.”  So much can be learned here about the gifts, but for now, please let the word presented hold your attention.  The Apostle Paul calls us in Romans 12:1 to present ourselves to God as a holy vessel, a living sacrifice.  As the wise men presented gifts from their treasures, we present ourselves to Him.  Just as the Corinthians gave themselves to the Lord we give ourselves to the Lord.  (2 Corinthians 8:5)

    Yes, let us keep Christmas in our hearts all year long.   Hear the amazing announcement that the Savior has been born, and let us now be the announcers as His ambassadors.  Let us daily kneel before Him and offer worship and present ourselves as His holy vessels to be used as He sees fit.

    If our greatest need had been information, God would have sent an educator.
    If our greatest need had been technology, God would have sent us a scientist.
    If our greatest need had been money, God would have sent us an economist.
    But since our greatest need was forgiveness, God sent us a Savior. -Roy Lessin

    Continue Strong with adoration of your Savior,
    And remember to DATE The Word