Saturday, April 28, 2018

Instant Replay


Happy is the person whose sins are forgiven, whose wrongs are pardoned.

-- Psalm 32:1

There are few do-overs in the game of life. But sometimes there are in the game of golf. For example, if a golfer slices their shot into the woods or a deep sand trap, they might ask their opponent for a mulligan — a chance to try again.

Wouldn’t it be nice if we could get a mulligan every time we fail in life?
Like for the times we speak rudely to a family member or cut off another motorist in traffic. Or when we gossip about someone at church or “forget” to report some income on our tax forms. Better still, how about a do-over for that night (25 years ago) when we shoplifted on a dare from a friend? Big or small, our failures can weigh heavy in our hearts. We can’t stop thinking about them and about what could have been.

If we could just erase those ugly moments in time and start over with a clean slate. The truth is that we can all use a few mulligans.

The Apostle Peter understood these feelings. Although he was one of Jesus’ earliest followers, witnessed his Master’s miracles and even walked on water (until his faith ran out), this bold individual known as The Rock failed the test more than once. For example, we can read in Matthew 26 about Peter’s declaration that he would stand by Jesus — and even die, if necessary — no matter what. But only hours after the Savior’s betrayal and arrest, Peter denied even knowing him. And not just once, but three times!

That’s pretty sobering stuff. But the good news is that God understands our human limitations. What’s more, we can find his solution to this universal problem throughout the Bible.

“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness,” we read in 1 John. And this passage from Proverbs delivers additional reassurance: “He who conceals his sins does not prosper, but whoever confesses and renounces them finds mercy.”

That message on a popular bumper sticker sums it all up: Christians aren’t perfect, they’re just forgiven. It’s when we desperately need a mulligan to erase our failures — whether we’re on or off the golf course — that we can always count on God’s undeserved kindness. We just need to confess our shortfalls to Jesus in faith. The result is a clean scorecard: a complete and total do-over.

“How far has the Lord taken our sins from us?” the Psalmist asks. “Farther than the distance from east to west!”


Saturday, April 21, 2018

Liberty or Death

Though I am free and belong to no man, I make myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible.

-- 1 Corinthians 9:19


What better symbolizes America and its ideals of justice and freedom than the Statue of Liberty? 

Constructed in France, disassembled and then shipped to New York in 214 crates, “Lady Liberty” was re-assembled and later officially dedicated in October 1886. Since then, the iconic statue has inspired millions around the world to experience freedom by immigrating to the United States and escaping the hardships or persecutions they faced in their mother countries. Today, Americans enjoy countless rights and privileges protected through federal, state and local laws. The First Amendment of the United States Constitution even guarantees our freedom to worship God as we see fit. But if we look at things through the upside-down way of Jesus, no one (of any nationality) has any real freedom. The truth is that we’re all slaves! 

Regardless of what’s written in our Bill of Rights or the
Declaration of Independence, everyone without exception is a slave to someone or something. They might not have literal chains around their ankles. But they still lack God’s perspective of true freedom. As Jesus put it so bluntly, “I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave to sin.”

This sin represents bondage to the world’s values, and it comes in many forms. It might be slavery to money and possessions, pleasure, fame, a career--or even religion. But however it appears, sin boils down to substituting false, man-made gods for the One and Only True Creator.

Christ-followers are also slaves. But the big difference is that they willingly choose to give up the temporary things of this world for the true freedom gained from an eternal relationship with Jesus.

“Don't you know that when you offer yourselves to someone to obey him as slaves, you are slaves to the one whom you obey,” asked the Apostle Paul, “whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness?

Paul’s question reveals that our choice is one of liberty or death: following Jesus or following sin.

Is this a difficult decision? Let’s remember that our earthly possessions aren’t really our own, and we certainly can't expect them to last. We can lose our jobs at any time through layoffs or so-called downsizing, and our homes and property can be ruined through a natural or man-made disaster. Serious health issues can arise at any time. And let’s face it: the mortality rate for everyone is 100 percent. No one gets out of here alive.

The fact is that one day we WILL lose it all, in one way or another. And unfortunately, most people will choose to do it through their slavery to sin. But there’s a far better and more satisfying choice: becoming a lifelong slave of a very kind master by accepting Jesus’ generous offer of salvation.

"Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever," Christ assures us. "So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed." 

Take it or leave it, the choice is ours: Liberty or Death.

Saturday, April 14, 2018

Rest Assured


Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.
 
-- Matthew 11:28

Maybe it's a co-worker, neighbor or even your uncle. They're the ones who always seem to come through for you in impossible situations. Like the time you needed a pair of sold-out concert tickets or a reliable plumber. And how about that iPhone they found for you last year--just when you were sure it was out of stock?

It's smart to keep these special people on your Christmas card list. Because rest assured, they're connected and have you covered. Likewise, if you're a Christ-follower, you're also covered in a more significant way. That's because Believers are in a close parent/child relationship with God. It's a bond made possible through Jesus' death on the cross--a punishment we all rightly deserve for our lifetimes of personal failures and shortcomings (also known as "sin"). But since we're connected through our faith in the right person (Jesus), he's already paid the enormous price to cover us.

Is this remarkable news hard to believe?

Some people think that their lives are already good enough to earn God's
acceptance, while others believe that they can somehow do enough good deeds to outweigh their sins. But what does the Bible say? On one hand, the Apostle Paul made it clear that salvation is a free gift from God through faith in Jesus Christ. We can never work hard enough to earn it. Let's consider one of Paul's most famous passages from the Book of Romans:

"If you declare with your mouth, 'Jesus is Lord,' and if you believe in your heart that God raised Jesus from the dead, you will be saved."

That seems straightforward. But what about these words from James, the brother of Jesus:

"What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him, 'Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed,' but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead."

So is it our faith that will bring us into God's Kingdom, or do we have to work for it? And if so, for how long?

Maybe there's no conflict between Paul and James after all. On multiple occasions, Jesus' miracles revealed the incredible power of a seeker's faith. For example, we read in Luke's Gospel that a Roman soldier's faith actually "amazed" the Savior. "I tell you," Jesus told the crowds that were following him, "I have not found such great faith even in Israel."

This means we can relax--it really is through our faith in Jesus and his work on the cross that we're saved. But that's not to say that works shouldn't be evident in our lives. Rather than being saved BY doing good, our faith in Jesus leads us to being saved FOR doing good. Rest assured, the author of the Old Testament book of Micah puts it this way:

"And what does the LORD require of you? "To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God."

Saturday, April 7, 2018

Without a Doubt


Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. "You of little faith," he said, "why did you doubt?"

-- Matthew 14:21

It's been said that if you have enough faith to believe the first four words of the Bible ("In the beginning, God..."), the rest of Scripture is easy. Still, even the most veteran Christ-followers can have their moments of doubt--particularly in times of crisis such as a job loss, a serious illness or the death of a loved one. 

However, trusting in God's promises extends well beyond our relationships,
employment status and health. His guarantees found throughout the Bible are eternal. And we can take them all to the bank because of God's proven track record of reliability. For example, God promised through the Old Testament's Book of Amos that the city of Tyre would be destroyed because of its harsh treatment of Israel. And a few centuries later, the armies of Alexander the Great indeed leveled Tyre's impregnable fortress walls. God also promised to reunite his scattered chosen people from around the globe. About 2,500 years later, God did just that through the birth of the State of Israel in 1948.

It doesn't stop there. J. Barton Payne's Encyclopedia of Biblical Prophecy lists more than 1,800 other promises from God. And no doubt his greatest was fulfilled--once again, as predicted centuries earlier--through the birth of the world's Savior (Jesus) in an obscure outpost of the Roman Empire called Bethlehem. It was then that God came to Earth to personally experience the human condition.

This fulfillment of God's promise was much more than a mere footnote in a history book. Through Jesus, the devil was defeated and Christ-followers were given the power to enjoy victorious, Spirit-filled lives. Let's also consider these words of assurance that are still relevant 20 centuries after Christ's death and Resurrection.

"Are not two sparrows sold for a penny," Jesus asked some of his earliest followers. "Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father's care. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows."

That's our Creator's promise to you and me: that he cares deeply for us. He also knows each of us intimately--even before the foundation of the earth. In fact, the Book of Isaiah tells us that our very names are written on the palms of his hands!

As Christ-followers, uncertainties about our faith will come and go. But we should be reassured that we worship a God who loves us and has wondrous plans for our future. 

There's no doubt about it!