Matthew 10:32

“Whoever acknowledges me before men, I will also acknowledge him before my Father in heaven.”

I have had many opportunities lately to speak with friends and others about my faith. I seem to get many questions regarding Biblical topics and verses and how they are related to today. Thankfully I have contact with some great pastors who help me out when I don’t know the answer. There is another set of opportunities that I have had lately as well. I have been blessed with the opportunity to follow Pastor Maas around on a few occasions as well as just speaking with both he and Pastor Sippy. They have given me great insights as well as suggestions. The best though has been a question. We were talking about how I am not very outgoing and that is something that I believe I need to work on. But more specifically I want to work on being more open to sharing the Gospel message. That is where the question was asked of me. It hit me and I really didn’t have an answer that made any sense what so ever. The question was:

What have you got to lose?

. . . Think about that question for a minute.

There are many ways that the question can apply to you. Everything from possessions to attributes, but I want to look at it in a different way, and at the end I will pose the question to you.

Out of many of the things I have taken away from the pastors one that continually sticks in my mind is this. The only way for those who don’t know about Jesus to find out about Him is to hear about Jesus. After thinking on the question for quite some time, I realized that if I continue to pass up opportunities to share the Word I am not giving everyone the opportunity to know Jesus. I wish we were capable of sharing with every individual we come into contact with. Unfortunately the way the world is with all its hustle and bustle that just isn’t the case. But when the opportunity does present itself why not seize it?

Going back to the opportunities I have had with both pastors. I got to go on visitations with Pastor Maas to the nursing homes (which I mentioned before). And one of the individuals we visited shared with us how God has granted him the opportunity to share with those around him even in the home. I saw a news story of a little girl who drew pictures when she was younger of helping the less fortunate and now, God has led her to open facilities and fundraisers to help these people. Everyone is capable of sharing at any age. From little kids, to the retired in nursing homes. That’s what brings me to the verse I first mentioned. Matthew 10:32 “Whoever acknowledges me before men, I will also acknowledge him before my Father in heaven.” This passage in Matthew states it pretty clearly. If you acknowledge Christ here on Earth, so will Christ do the same for you in heaven. So let me pose the question once again:

What have you got to lose?

I realized the answer is nothing. Sharing the Word of God with someone is a privilege and can’t be taken away from us. Just because someone is not open to coming to Christ doesn’t mean that we will lose our faith because they don’t want to join us. It doesn’t mean that our faith struggles because we don’t bring each individual to our family of brothers and sisters in Christ. It’s not easy to share the Word. It can be difficult and nerve wrecking, but one thing it is, is satisfying. Sharing the Word of God is a blessing. It is your faith, and you have nothing to lose by sharing it. I pray that each of you will strive to share with others more, knowing that it can help you build your faith, and hopefully spark the faith of another.

Psalm 139

“O Lord, you have searched me, and you know me.”

A few items came across my desk, so to speak, this past week. Two of which I would like to look at. The first was on the internet, via facebook. The newsfeed said “How well do you know _______?” then listed various people’s names. I took a quiz or two and found that some people I knew better than others, and some, well, I really didn’t know well at all. Some friends I have known for years and barely know, others I have only recently met and know tons about. Family is the same way, some you know better than others. What about yourself? How well do others know you? Most importantly how well do you know you? I bet you are thinking that you know more about yourself than anyone else. I’m sorry but that most certainly is NOT the case. I’ll explain a bit later.

The other item was a book given to me at confirmation, which I unfortunately forgot I ever received. The book is entitled “Friends” and is written by a Christian singer, Michael Smith. The book talks about some of his good and bad times in life, and gives many Scriptural references throughout filling most of its pages. Seeing as I had forgotten about the book and really didn’t know that I had it, I began reading. In the first few minutes of reading Psalm 139 came about and according to Smith this particular Psalm is a great handful of verses to memorize if that is something you are striving to do. In his book he speaks of friends and relationships in general. As the book continues to unfold he talks about Colossians 1 and its vivid picture of Christ. I encourage you to check these verses out. But then he talks about his “Friends” tour and speaks of Psalm 139. When he quoted it he said that at times, you could hear pins drop. After going through and reading the Psalm a few times I can really see why.

The Psalm begins, “O LORD, you have searched me, and you know me.” Wow. It only gets better though. Let me show you how well Christ knows you. Verse 2 says that He knows when you sit, and stand. He also knows your thoughts far in advance. Verse 3 He knows when you go out, and when you lay down. Christ is familiar with all your ways. The list goes on and on. He knows when you will say things before you say them. In verse 6 the psalmist actually admits that the amount of knowledge that Christ has for us is too lofty to attain. There is absolutely no way that we can hide from God. In fact, it is His eyes that are leading us in life. Are you looking to Him for guidance and direction in all of your decisions?

Take a look at verses 9 and 10. No matter where you go, Christ will continue to hold fast to you. When you are in your highest of highs and your lowest of lows Christ is always there. Friends and family come and go. Sometimes when times get tough you feel alone, I tell you, you’re not. Someone who knows you better and listens to your every word is always there for you. It is someone who knew you before you were even born, who formed you in your mothers womb. So when you feel alone, sad, depressed, frustrated, happy, jubilant, who is it that you go to talk to? Do you go to your best friend, your brother or sister, your mom, dad, friend or other family member? I pray that each and every one of us can look to these people, but more importantly be in constant conversation with God. He knows you best; He knows your ways, your thoughts, and what you will say. Let Him guide you in all your ways.

So back to those things that came across my desk. The book has been beneficial and has helped me to get into the Word even more so, and focus more on my relationships with people here on Earth. And the quizzes online, well it has reminded me that no one knows me better than Christ. So even though I may not know everything about some of my friends, how about I do make one thing perfectly clear with them all, and that is my Savior knows me best, and I strive to know Him better every day. I hope that each and every one of us can look to Christ more for guidance, especially in our relationships, that we may build them upon His firm foundation.

2 Corinthians 5:7

“For we walk by faith, not by sight”

Proverbs 3:5-6

“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.”

Everything in this world is based on faith, which in turn has a lot to do with trust. Let me explain. How often do you go to a doctor’s office and ask where he graduated in his class? Or what the list of his qualifications are? When you go in for surgery do you trust the surgeon? Do you know their qualifications? Do you know that they are going to do exactly what is right for you? Mind you while in surgery you may be under anesthesia. What about when you get in your car, you have faith that it is going to start just like it did yesterday and the day before right? And when you go to do your laundry, you have faith that the setting you select is going to be the one that the washer actually runs, don’t you? Those are just a few examples of faith in your everyday lives.

Look at the verse from 2 Corinthians again, “for we walk by faith, NOT by sight.” Even though you are “out cold” so to speak and not able to see what the surgeon is doing, you are still faithful that they will do the right thing. Even though you don’t see the inner workings of your washer or drier, your clothes will still be clean when they come out wont they (barring you add detergent and set the machine to the proper settings)? When you get in the shower you turn the nozzle to the warm side and warm water comes out even though you don’t see it. Faith is everywhere, even when you can’t see it.

This is just like Christ. You may not see Him, but if you look harder He is everywhere. He is there in the nursing homes, in hospitals, in schools, on the streets and in your homes. He is there through thick and thin, through every up and every down. Even though you don’t see him, you still have faith in Him.

So let us add trust to this picture of faith. Everyone goes through tough times. Whether it be a death, a sickness, an injury, or a separation of any sort (friends moving away, losing a significant other, or getting close to someone just to see things fall apart). And yet through all of that Christ is still there. Death for example in Romans 6 it says “the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life.” So because of God’s grace and our faith in him, even through death we will have everlasting life with him. Falling away from someone you have gotten close to can often times lead to questioning why it happened as it did? How come the outcome wasn’t different? Why would God put someone into my life just to push us further apart again? The list goes on and on just as it does with deaths, with sicknesses like cancer, disabilities and that list goes on and on. And it may be hard to see why. I have been through a situation like this, and even though it is years past I still for some reason dwell on it. But every time it comes up in my mind I see how God has led me in the path He has chosen for me. My faith and trust in Him has greatly increased through the situation. I have come to better understand what I am to do with my life, who I am to search out as friends, and to be who God created me to be. Not to be someone else. He created me for me, and the situation I had has really taught me that. But most importantly, and I will repeat myself again, it has increased my faith and increased my trust in Him.

Even those you are close to can often times struggle with these very things. Take Thomas for an example. As one of the 12 disciples many would think he would have no trouble trusting in God. Even after hearing Jesus say that he had to die and rise again and that He would return, Thomas still had problems trusting. A step further, Christ returned to the 10 in a locked room (Judas had hung himself and Thomas was not with them) and also returned to Mary Magdalene in the garden. And even after the disciples told him that they had seen Jesus he still did not believe. It was not until Jesus appeared to Thomas personally (in the book of John 20^th chapter) and Thomas felt the nail holes and the hole in Christ’s side, did he believe.

I pray that each and every one of you does not get stuck in the past, or get stuck in the down things of this world, or continue to wonder “what if” but rather that you look to God to continue to lead you in life. I pray that you continue to draw closer to Him, and most importantly to build your faith and trust in Him. I would like to leave you with 2 verses regarding all of this that kind of wrap it all up to me, and I hope they do for you also. The first is John 20:29 Jesus is speaking to the disciples and says “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” And the second is the same one I began with 1 Corinthians 5:7, but this time from a different version called the Message. It reads, “It’s what we trust in but don’t yet see that keeps us going.”

Psalm 46:10

“Be still and know that I am God.”

I recently was very privileged and blessed to accompany Pastor on rounds to the nursing home. It just so happened to be the time of the month when he goes to give communion. We visited 3 people who received communion that day and man was it a moving experience. Our first stop we visited a retired pastor full of knowledge and advice (especially for someone my age). We simply talked with him for a while and after 30 minutes of talking or so we had a short service filled with prayer which ended in communion. We moved on and did the same thing with an elderly woman, this time the service was out of the hymnal, but the same procedure. Lots of talking followed by communion. The last stop was much the same more talking (in my case listening) which ended again in communion. After each of the individuals had partaken in communion it seemed like pastor and I just got up and left. Well it didn’t seem like it, because it is exactly what we did. On our rather short drive back I asked him, why do you leave right after communion. His response was simple, and also where this verse came to mind for me. He told me that it is only once a month that these individuals receive communion and that there is just a level of reverence that he feels should be their time alone with God. “Be still and know that I am God.”

So often while in nursing homes it appears to be hard to see God’s hand at work. These people I got to visit changed that opinion completely for me. They were open and caring to not only me, but to others in the home as well. They asked us to offer up prayers of petition for the others in the home, especially those searching for God as well as those who hadn’t found Him at all yet. And as I look back on it each and every one of them sat there. Completely still, knowing that God was there with them, not only through pastor and I, but through communion and through the individuals in the home as well.

The verse came to mind again today during the Gospel lesson. The reading was from the book of Mark the fourth chapter. The passage speaks of the calming of the sea. Christ spoke to the wind and the waves saying “Quiet, be still!” The wind and waves obeyed. It’s not just about the wind and the waves though. It’s about each and every one of us. How often are you quiet, just sitting there, listening to God? How often are you looking around through all the storms of this earth and seeing how He is working.

As you enter the mission field wherever it may be, in your house, your neighborhood, down the road at Victory Mission or Salvation Army, or whether it is overseas, in Africa, Brazil, or just in a neighboring country like Mexico, I urge you to be quiet and be still. Search to see where God is leading you. Search to see where He is already working, and where you can help out. Trust that God is working in your life, and look around to see how He is working in others. Be willing to step out of your boundaries and share Jesus with someone. Let Christ lead you to walk in His ways, so that others can have confidence, and when that storm of life comes their way, that they too can be still and know who God is.

1 Timothy 1:14-16

“The grace of our Lord was poured out on me abundantly, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.

Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners- of whom I am the worst. But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his unlimited patience as an example for those who would believe on him and receive eternal life.”

Those are a few of my favorite verses and man is there a lot in them! Just in that first verse three things are talked about, grace, faith and love. In the book of Ephesians it is written “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith . . .” In my opinion, this verse in Ephesians really emphasizes the point that Paul is trying to make. God’s grace is poured out in such a fashion that all people it at their fingertips, if they so choose to accept it. The grace is so abundant because of the faith that we have in Him. To add to that though is something even more. That something is love. It’s not just love between you and Christ, but that love is to be spread between you and your friends, and your family, and even your enemies. Love is to be encompassed with all people no matter what. No matter how hard it may be. This is how great that love is to be. The book of Luke says, “’Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’ and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’” That is one great love, loving others just as you love yourself.

That is all great, but Paul goes on. The next verse goes on to say that Christ came to save sinners. And he goes even deeper. Paul admits his faults by saying that Christ came to save sinners- “of whom I (Paul) am the worst.” WOW! Paul is telling us here that out of everyone in this world, he is the worst of all sinners. So let me ask a question. Do you agree? Is Paul the worst of sinners?

I have to agree, yes Paul is the worst of sinners, but at the same time, so am I. It is written in the book of Psalms “If you, O LORD, kept a record of sins, O Lord who could stand?” Thankfully the Lord does not keep a record of all my sins, or yours or anyone else’s. But each one of us is equally sinful and therefore is equally the worst of sinners. (That is my opinion and if I am wrong please correct me.)

The last verse really hits to home though. Paul talks about Christ’s patience, belief in Him and the ultimate prize. That belief and patience and prize to me are all wrapped into a few verses in the book of John. They are probably pretty familiar to you. They read, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world though him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.” It comes around full circle, the abundant grace that is poured out for us, the faith we have in Christ and the love we have for Him and He for us has given us the opportunity to receive the ultimate prize. Eternal life in heaven. “Christ came into this world to save sinners- of whom I am the worst.” And I am thankful for that, and pray that each and every one of you are too.

Matthew 9:9

“As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax collector’s booth. ‘Follow me,’ he told him, and Matthew got up and followed him.”

How easy is that? Two words, two words is all that Christ has to say for Matthew to follow him. Wouldn’t that make your life much easier? You wouldn’t have to wonder which profession Christ was leading you into. You wouldn’t have to worry about what school to go to, who to hang out with, and if this or that was ever going to happen. But at the same time isn’t that difficult? Two words are all that were used. Can you imagine following someone whom you have never met, when all they say is simply “Follow me?” I think it would be awful difficult. So let’s look at another example. In the fourth chapter of Matthew a very similar phrase is used. In verse 19 Christ again (speaking to Peter and his brother Andrew) and says “Come, follow me.” But this time Jesus gives them more detail. Peter and Andrew were out at sea fishing when Jesus called them, and after he told them to come follow him, he let them know what they were going to be doing. Christ says “and I will make you fishers of men.” Just a few more words, but this time Christ lets them know what they will be doing. The same result happened as with Matthew. Peter and Andrew left their nets and began to follow. Christ continues to call us even to this day.

First of all he simply says “Follow me.” We as brothers and sisters in Christ are called to be his disciples. We are called to spread the Word, called to make disciples of nations, sharing the Word with everyone we can. Matthew 28:19 says “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit”

But when it comes down to our daily life or what we will do when we grow up it may not be as easy to distinguish which path God is leading us on. Yes we will always be called to share his Word, but what about your profession, or where you will live, or go to school, the list goes on and on. I have never really been 100% sure of what I want to do after college. My mind has gone back and forth and round and round in circles. I am not as lucky as some who have known what they wanted to do since they were little and actually stuck with it. I know a friend of mine has always wanted to do mission work and is actually in that process now after graduation. I haven’t always known I wanted to work with kids, or be an accountant, or construction worker, or farmer, or personal trainer. My mind has always wondered what God has in store for me. Opportunities open and close. Decisions come and go. But one thing remains constant, I know that in whatever it is that God leads me to do and whenever it is that I finally see what He has planned, I know that I am going to do my absolute best to spread his Word, and walk in His ways, to the glory of his holy name.

To wrap everything up, at church last Sunday we had a reading from the book of Isaiah the sixth chapter. And verse 8 really hit me, and I think it applies here so I will leave you with it:

“Then I heard the voice of the LORD saying ‘Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?’ And I said, ‘Here am I. Send me!’”

Psalm 34:18

“The LORD is close to the brokenhearted 

       and saves those who are crushed in spirit.”

Two things: close and saves.  Let’s look at saves first. The LORD “saves those who are crushed in spirit.”  Saves is a great word.  The Lord no matter what is going on in our lives saves us as long as we keep our faith in Him.  Life brings about so many challenges, and more often than not we struggle and our spirit seems to be crushed.  Luckily we have a Savior who gave up everything to come to this world as true man, and do all the work for us, so that we can reap the benefits.  Just look at all the things that Christ endured in His life that could bring Him down and possibly give Him the idea to change his mind and not die on the cross for us.  Everything from people not believing in Him, to spending time being tempted by the devil.  The things that crush us in this life don’t really seem to even compare to me.

One more thing to look at.  “The LORD is close to the brokenhearted.”  I simply have a question and a confession to go with this one.  First off the question.  Does pretending you aren’t broken push you further away from God? My confession is that I do this entirely too often.  I hide behind my everyday life and say that everything is ok.  Life is just going swell and I have nothing on my mind.  But just like everyone else I have stuff going on, and I sometimes feel myself having an even harder time because of the way that things bottle up.  I like to look at it as a long run short run scenario.  The short run really seems to push me further away from God.  I’m not sure why, but it seems to.  I find my mind wandering more and having a harder time praying like I want to and should.  But in the long run I find myself looking at the whole situation and finding myself closer to God.  It really is rather interesting.

So I propose the same question to you.  Does pretending you aren’t broken push you further away from God?  What do you think?

2 Corinthians 12:7-9

⁷To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. ⁸Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. ⁹But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me.

I would like to look at two parts of this passage. The first is verse 7b where it talks about thorns in flesh. Obviously times have changed and we don’t deal as much with physical abuse and problems when it comes to faith but they are still out there. Nor do we have the same temptations as prior history. Things have changed and the thorns are different but still given by the same individual (Satan). So what are some of the thorns in your life? What temptations do you have, and how do you deal with them?

Prayer is a big thing when working with these thorns in life. Something simple as being pressured into drinking or smoking, or doing something you don’t feel is right. Pray that God helps you with every decision and not just the big ones. To me it is just like saying “THY will be done.” The problem is more often than not I find myself saying “thy will be done.” By this I mean that I am really hoping that God’s will coincide with mine. This most likely is not the right idea, which initially pushes me further away from Him. This is where I like to look to Christ to remind me that my will is not the important one, but God’s is. Look at the book of Luke the 22^nd chapter. In verse 41 Jesus asks God to remove the cup from his hands, if it is his father’s will. Thankfully the cup was not removed, because if it were we would have no reason to be here on earth. Jesus obeyed the will of His father and because of this we have the gift of eternal life.

The other portion I would like to look at is that of grace. “My grace is sufficient for you.” Grace is enough, because of God’s grace through faith we are able to have eternal life. The verse continues saying “for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Looking back at the first portion regarding thorns, sometimes when we are at our weakest of times we are closest to God. Its crazy how that works, but it does. I pray that daily we work more to allow God’s will to be ours and that we ask for His every guidance in the decisions we make both big and small. “For it is by grace we have been saved, through faith, and not by works so that no one can boast.” (Ephesians 2:8-9).

Matthew 22:15-22

^"15Then the Pharisees went out and laid plans to trap him in his words. ¹⁶They sent their disciples to him along with the Herodians. "Teacher," they said, "we know you are a man of integrity and that you teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. You aren't swayed by men, because you pay no attention to who they are. ¹⁷Tell us then, what is your opinion? Is it right to pay taxes to Caesar or not?"

¹⁸But Jesus, knowing their evil intent, said, "You hypocrites, why are you trying to trap me? ¹⁹Show me the coin used for paying the tax." They brought him a denarius, ²⁰and he asked them, "Whose portrait is this? And whose inscription?"

²¹"Caesar's," they replied.
Then he said to them, "Give to Caesar what is Caesar's, and to God what is God's."

²²When they heard this, they were amazed. So they left him and went away."

Okay, lets look at the obviously most viewed portion of this passage in terms of sermons and commentaries. "Give unto Caesar what is Caesar's, and to God what is God's." Here Jesus was in a bind. If he said it was unlawful (according to the Jewish law) to pay taxes to Caesar then he could be arrested and even killed for being a revolutionary against the Roman rule. If he took the other stance that it was okay to pay taxes to Caesar he risked losing many of his Jewish followers because he would be taking a soft stance on the "evil" Roman rule and that he never had any intention of overcoming them. It would be like going into a big conservative rally in a red state and saying its okay to fund terrorists, except maybe even worse because the Jews (for the most part) hated the Roman rule.

Jesus came up with the perfect answer, "Give unto Caesar what is Caesar's, and to God what is God's." If your a politician, that is how you both dodge a question, but also answer the question! Not exactly the yes or no answer the Pharisees were looking for, but it was the right answer. So what exactly does it mean? The most common part that is examined is the "give unto Caesar" part. The meaning that is drawn from this is that it is good to pay taxes (regardless of... uh.... how much you may disagree with the system), and that we should all be good citizens, and that most of all, what is earthly is earthly, and we cannot put too much stock in it. In the end, God put Caesar in the position that he was in, and God put the leaders we have today in the positions they are in today. God gave us all the possessions that we are responsible for caring for, and he expects us to use them in certain ways, including the paying of taxes, and the giving of offerings back to God, which leads me to the final portion of this post....

Many times when looking at this passage, and the answer that Jesus give, the portion of "give unto God what is God's" is completely overlooked. As important as it is to give to Caesar what is his, it is even more important for us to give God what is God's! I submit to you for discussion that most of the time we do not give to God what is His. We seem to do the esseentials like paying taxes and obeying laws in terms of doing our earthly citizen duties (and praise God for those doing above and beyond and helping others to be good stewards and citizens too), but how often do we even do the basics in giving to God? I think everyone, including and especially myself fail miserably in this.

What exactly would be considered giving to God what is God's? In my opinion, and I welcome and agreements or disagreements on this, it would be giving offerings (monetary, time, talents, heart, mind, and soul) back to God since he gave all of those to begin with. I think its also giving him our worship, our praise, and obeying his commands. What do you think?

John 10:11-18

11"I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 12The hired hand is not the shepherd who owns the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it. 13The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep.
14"I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me— 15just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep. 16I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd. 17The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life—only to take it up again. 18No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father."

The passage about being the good shepherd. I think it is important to realize the 1st century Judean context that this passage was written in. The area surrounding Jerusalem is a desert. It is dry the vast majority of the year except during the heavy rain season (which is also perilous for the sheep due to the massive flooding). There is very little if to no vegetation in most areas. The fact of the matter is, that in this landscape, without a shepherd, the flock of sheep will soon die. It isn't like American style shepherding (not that I am a shepherding expert) where there is generally a man made pond or other water source, and plenty of grass and other vegetation in which the herd just needs to be moved from time to time and cared for physically (which of course has to be done there as well).

Looking at the sheep and shepherding from this context (of which the Jesus' audience in this area would've been well aware of), we can see how much of a statement it is for Jesus to say that he is the Good Shepherd and we are his sheep. He cares for our every need, and when one of us goes lost, he longs for us and searches for us. We recognize the Christ's voice just as the sheep would recognize the voice of their shepherd calling for them.

Most of all, Christ lays down his life for his sheep. His laying down of his life for us is what saves us. In one of Peter's letters it talks about how satan prowls like a roaring lion (1 Peter 5:8), and yet we are deliverd from that prowling lion, delivered from death, and have eternal life because of our shepherd!

2 Corinthians 4:8-12

8We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; 9persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. 10We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. 11For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus' sake, so that his life may be revealed in our mortal body. 12So then, death is at work in us, but life is at work in you.

So many things afflicted the people at the that Paul was writing from. They were pressed, perplexed, persecuted, and struck down. In all these things though, in all these tacts of the devil, they were not destroyed, they were not abandoned, not in despair, and not crushed. All of these things must have been terribly miserable to deal with, and yet they persevered. They continued on sharing their message.

Time for practical application, think about this country. In many ways the people of this country are in trouble. There is financial hardship, there is scary talk in politics on moral issues, there is insecurity, fear, and struggle grip the nation. We sit and complain and wallow, the news media eating up every bit of it, preaching doom and gloom. Consumer fear grinds the spending to a halt. Drastic changes are proposed throughout the government at every level. Its being called the worse economic catastrophy since the Great Depression.

And yet, is it all really that bad? I never lived through the Great Depression, but I have met many people that have. I hear stories told about how bad things really were, and yet people banded together to help each other and they got through it, never expecting a government handout or anyone else to come to their rescue.

Here are exerpts from a letter my grandpa sent to my cousin about his experience with the Great Depression. None of this is intended to be political, but just to make you think:

"Dear Kyle,
I enjoyed visiting with you yesterday. I hope I was able to give you some information that will help you in your class. I thought more about it and thought I would give you a few more facts on how things were in the 1930's. You can compare those facts with where we are today and decide if we are better off.

For instance here are a few of the things we didn't have in the 1930's:

There was no unemployment benefits.
There was no social security
There was no medical insurance
There was no medicare
There was no medicaid
There was no food stamps
There was no aid to dependent children
There was no aid for housing credits
There were no loans for higher education
And on and on and on.
There was basically no help from any government agency. If a family needed help the neighbors or church members pitched in and helped out. My Dad worked for a dollar a day and was glad to have a job. Us kids entertained ourselves. We played ball on the streets or in back alleys. Some one would nail a goal to a barn and we would play basketball in all kinds of weather. None of us had any money but as kids we didn't know any better. We just had a good time with whatever toys we could make or borrow. If you had a bicycle you were really fortunate. My Dad finally bought me a used bike and I was the happiest kid in town. Most of my clothes were hand me downs from a friend of mine whose Dad was the principal of the school. Since he had a steady income he was able to buy new clothes for his son and I got to wear the ones he outgrew.

Love
Grandpa"

I understand that many in this country are really struggling right now, but do we have it anywhere close to that bad? And back then, did they have it as bad as the early Christians that were executed in brutal masses (being tied to horses running opposite directions, mauled by lions and wild animals, coated with tar and left to bake in the 100 degree heat and lit on fire in the evening to light the streets which brings new meaning to Christ saying we are the light of the world, amazingly though, the church grew because of the blood shed by the martyrs during this time). And the truly amazing thing is that these people in such terribly awful conditions rejoiced! They praised God! They were not destroyed or abandoned by God despite whatever else the world had in store for them! And they knew that they had eternal life waiting for them after this life. "So then, death is at work in us, but life is at work in you." Praise God for this. Let us be joyful and pray continually (1 Thessalonians 5:16) and let us know that we have life! Life through Christ no matter what our circumstance or condition.

Philipians 2:5-11

5Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus:
6Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped,
7but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant,
being made in human likeness.
8And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death even death on a cross!
9Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name,
10that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

This is one of my favorite passages in the entire Bible. It is a perfect model for how to live life, and also a perfect gospel testimony, and is also very poetic and flowing. All in all, I do not feel like it lacks anything.

It begins by stating that our attitude should be like that of Christs, in all situations, and in all times. Read the gospels, and that is what our attitude should be like. It continues though, saying that Christ did not consider equality with God something to be grasped. Christ was God! He was the living Son of God! He was both man and God! If anyone had claim to be equal with the Father, it is Christ! And yet he didn't. How then do we as lowly sinners expect to grasp equality with God? How then can we claim to know what is best for our lives or have any complaint against God?

So instead of taking equality with God, Christ went the complete opposite way with it, he humbled himself as a servant, and became obedient to God. He served and obeyed his entire life, and continued to serve and obey humbly on the same path that lead him on the Via Dolorosa, or Way of Sorrows (aka Way of the Cross), culminating in his innocent torture and death.

Now because Christ took the complete opposite life of glorification and power, and rather chose a life of humbelness and servitude, God exalted him! He raised him up, his name above all names! Because of his life, death, and resurrection, all mankind is saved. That is the gospel message amongst all of this. Because Chrsit did all this for us, we are saved and glorified with him as Saint Paul says in 2 Thessalonians 1:12 "We pray this so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ."

So we see that through all this, Christ is raised up because of the life he lived, all to the glory of God the Father. I pray that each of us lead lives bringing glory to God the Father as well, through Christ Jesus our Lord and Savior

The Greatest 3 Word Phrase

What do you think the greatest three word phrase in history is? Well any ideas? Perhaps it is something funny a friend said or a phrase that your mother or father has instilled on you. The first thing that came to mind for me is the phrase “I love you.” I thought this is a valid phrase and a rather important one at that point . . . until I found one that has become even more important to me. You may be thinking, what on Earth could be greater than “I love you?” How about I give you a hint:

“I know that My Redeemer lives!

What comfort this sweet sentence gives!

He lives, he lives, who once was dead;

He lives, my ever living head!”

Well, did that help any? To me the phrase “Christ has Risen!” is a much more important phrase. Beginning to elaborate look at a few more phrases in the song “I Know that My Redeemer Lives.” Verse two says “He lives triumphant from the grave, He lives eternally to save.” Without Christ’s birth death and resurrection we would have no need for love on this Earth because we would all have nothing to live for. Because of his death we have victory over sin, death and the devil. Because of his death we too can love one another just as He loves us.

As I continue to think about it the two go hand in hand. Look at John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish but will have everlasting life.” Because God so loved the world, that is us! He loved us so much that He gave his only begotten Son, to live on this earth and to die for each and every one of us, so that we who have trust and faith in Him can spend eternity in heaven. Showing again Christ’s great love for us through His death it is stated in 1 Timothy 1:15 that “Christ Jesus came into this world to save sinners, of whom I am the worst.” Even more so look at Romans 5:8 “But God demonstrates His love for us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” We continually fall into the fate of sin, and yet when each and every one of us were still sinners (especially since none of us will ever be perfect) Christ died for us. We are as far from perfect as possible and Christ was still there to die for our sins, to give us eternal life. What great love that is!

So now that I have talked my way through circles I seem to think that one without the other is worthless, but for some reason, “He is Risen” still hits more to home for me. Maybe it is because Christ came to serve, not to be served. Again another statement of love, He knew that His purpose on this Earth was eventually to suffer and die on the cross for us. It is continually stated how Christ gave his life as a ransom for many. Such an important task, even when Jesus knew his father’s will. What can we do to show our gratitude? This is where it all gets tied together, with the greatest commandments, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul and mind, and love your neighbor as yourself.” These are the two greatest commandments and are a great way in which we can show our thanks for Christ dying on the cross for us.

1 Corinthians 13:13 “Now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.” I don’t know if I am even on the right track saying that “He is Risen” is more important than “I love you.” Perhaps it just hits me more. But what I do know is that I don’t remember either often enough. This Easter season I have made it my goal to recognize the resurrection and the love that Christ has for me every day and I pray that you also work to this goal. I leave you with the lyrics from a Casting Crowns song titled “Who am I?” which really show how lucky we are to have the love of Christ!

Who am I?
That the Lord of all the earth,
Would care to know my name,
Would care to feel my hurt.
Who am I?
That the bright and morning star,
Would choose to light the way,
For my ever wandering heart.

Bridge:
Not because of who I am,
But because of what you've done.
Not because of what I've done,
But because of who you are.

Chorus:
I am a flower quickly fading,
Here today and gone tomorrow,
A wave tossed in the ocean,
A vapor in the wind.
Still you hear me when I'm calling,
Lord, you catch me when I'm falling,
And you've told me who I am.
I am yours.
I am yours.

Who am I?
That the eyes that see my sin
Would look on me with love
And watch me rise again.
Who am I?
That the voice that calmed the sea,
Would call out through the rain,
And calm the storm in me.

Whom shall I fear
Whom shall I fear
I am yours..
I am yours..

Easter Triumph! Easter Joy!

Luke 24:5-7 The angels standing in the tomb said to them, " 'Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee: 'The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, be crucified and on the third day be raised again."

The Son of Man was supposed to suffer and die. The Son of Man was supposed to take our place on the cross. And he did all of that and more. The Son of Man was also supposed to be raised back to life on the third day, and he did. All that he was supposed to do, the Son of Man, Christ Jesus, fulfilled. By this act he saved all who believe in him, and gives us life through Him, because He too was raised!

1 Corinthians15:17-22; 55-56"And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost. If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men. But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man...Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting? The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ."

So we see that the resurrection of Christ is the culmination of all our faith! He suffered for us, for our sins, but all that would have been for naught had Christ not been raised. Our joy is complete though because we know he was raised! By raising Christ, God accepts his sacrifice and atonement for our sins and gives us life. Death is no more! We as Christians are victorious! As Paul says in Romans, "we are more than victorious!" Ours is the joy that is beyond any other joy. We are triumphant! When I hear the Easter hymns, and Alleluias it moves me inside, Christ has won, he has triumphed over the grave, over the devil, and over sin. No more is man separated from God, but we are now connected with Him in Christ! Praise be to Christ! The triumph is ours! The joy is ours!

As my pastor said in his sermon, "He is risen! He is risen indeed, alleluia! Through his resurrection though, we can also say, 'We are risen!' Praise be to Christ for this!

Passing Over

The tenth and final plague, the plague on the firstborn male of all humans and animals. No one was exempt from this. However, there is a meal still served today that commemorates the one way around this terrible fate. This meal is called Passover, because the Angel of Death passed over the houses of the Israelites that followed the instructions of the Lord. The instructions were to put the blood of a lamb - a perfect lamb without any defect or blemish - on the door frame of each house. When the Angel of Death saw the blood it would pass over that house. The book of Exodus chapter 12 verse 13 tells us, "the blood will be a sign for you on the houses where you are; and when I see the blood, I will pass over you."

On the night in which he was betrayed, Jesus gave us a new set of instructions for the passover. He told us that he is the new Passover Lamb. He is the lamb without defect or blemish, and it is his blood that is now placed on our hearts. Ephesians 1:7 says, "In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace." Our wretched sinful souls are passed over from certain eternal damnation because of the blood of the Paschal Lamb.

Really this is but an extension from the previous post, "Bondage," and represents again the connection of Christ to the Old Testament, specifically the Passover and exodus from Egypt, and seems especially pertinent in this season of the Passover and Easter. Praise be to God for providing us yet again with the lamb of sacrifice.

Bondage

Hundreds of years before a certain Jewish baby would be born in a small town in Israel, and hundreds of years before that baby would die on a tree and be raised again to life, the chosen people of God were in bondage, enslaved by the Egyptians.

The ancient Israelites were forced into hard labor and were terribly oppressed. The book of Exodus chapter one, verses 12, 13, and 14 tell us that "...the Egyptians came to dread the Israelites and worked them ruthlessly. They made their lives bitter with hard labor in brick and mortar and with all kinds of work in the fields; in all their hard labor the Egyptians used them ruthlessly." In all ways, the Israelites were completely helpless and without hope. They had been enslaved for hundreds of years, they had no hope of rescue, they had no hope of winning their freedom on their own. Their situation was bleak, they were in complete and total bondage.

Into this scene comes Moses. I certainly will not try to tell his whole entire story here, though I know of a good book that contains it if his story interests you, its called the Bible. Instead I would like to focus on Moses' purpose for coming into this rather dark and depressing scene. God had called Moses from the desert and told him to go back to Egypt. Through Moses, God displayed his power to the world and to the Egyptians. God rescued the Israelites from their plight. God broke the chains of their oppressor and defeated the Egyptians. The Israelites had no part in this what so ever except to watch and be amazed and the wonders they were beholding. They did not take part in the fight in any way, rather they were carried out of Egypt from their beaten down state by the very Hand of God. God had saved them from their state of bondage.

Hundreds of years after this event, the world is in a state of turmoil. Once again, the people of the world are in bondage, to the Romans. However, this time - as had been the case since Adam and Eve ate the fruit in the garden - the people were in a different type of bondage, a bondage to sin. They were once again helpless in their fight against their oppressor, being sin, death, and the devil. In no way did they ever have hope of defeating their oppressor. As Paul puts it in Romans 7 verse 14, they had been "sold as a slave to sin," much in the same way that the Israelites had been enslaved to the Egyptians.

Into this scene comes Jesus the Christ, the living Son of God, the Redeemer and breaker of the bonds of sin! Christ came into the world and through his perfect life that he lived, through his innocent suffering and death on the cross, and through his being raised to life and ascending to heaven, he defeated sin, death, and the devil! He brought hope to the hopeless and carried the people of the world out of bondage and into the grace of God. Romans 6 illustrates this better than I ever could.

Almost two thousand years later, the world is still tormented by sin and will continue to be until the final day when Christ shall come again. We know that we are freed from sin and from death and from the devil. We still know that sin lives in the world, and that we will one day die, and that the devil is still on the prowl. We also know that through the grace of God we are forgiven of our sins through Christ Jesus, and that although we shall indeed die, we shall also be raised from death when Christ comes again, and that although Satan still prowls, his is not the victory, rather Christ's is the victory!

How then shall we go on living this life as both sinner and saint, dead to sin yet made alive in Christ? Through Christ we know that we are empowered to fight sin our oppressor. What sin is oppressing us right now? What sorrow eats away at us? What darkness do we hide within ourselves? To what are you in bondage? Do you believe that Christ frees you from it? I pray that you and that I believe that Christ does, so that we may turn from our sin and follow the path of righteousness freed from bondage, until that day when He shall come again when we shall live with him forever and ever! Amen.