Perfect in Christ

Have you ever just meditated on all the great wonders Jesus has done for us?  To do His great works for us He became and was just like us in the flesh.  Whoever thought that a man could rescue the souls of men; to do for you what you could not do for yourself?  Jesus became your resting place so when you are weary you can rest.  Jesus leads you with strong hands; his Spirit dwells in you.  He is the Lord of creation and you are His greatest work.

O, how Jesus loves you!  And He saves you from yourself, even above the storms of life; all by His great name.  But how will you look to God when you stand before Him?  The bible says you have to be perfect.  You might be thinking, "Oh, there is a catch 22 here"...Well let's look further into some more wonders that your King has done for you.

God will fill you with the knowledge of His will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding, in order to live a life worthy of Him.  He has qualified you to share in the inheritance in the kingdom of light.  He has rescued you from the dominion of darkness and brought you into the kingdom of the son He loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.  God was pleased that through His son Jesus you were reconciled by Christ's holy body, by making peace through His blood shed on the cross.

Once you were alienated from God because of the sin in your life.  But now He has reconciled you by Christ's physical body through death to present you holy in His sight, without blemish and free from accusation.

God has chosen you to make known the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.  There is no catch 22 here.  Because:  you are made ---

"Perfect in Christ".

Psalm 105   Isaiah 28   David Crowder Band   Mercy Me   Luke 5   Jeremy Riddle

Colossians 1   Sanctus Real   Jeremy Camp   Phil Wickham   Natalie Grant

Selah

Perfect Peace

The heart of Jesus was pure and filled with perfect peace.  The disciples shouted for fear in the storm; He slept through it.  Peter drew his sword to fight; Jesus lifted His hand to heal.  His heart was at peace.  Sometimes I'm at a loss for words, but it's okay.  All I need is to be with Jesus and there in the midst of Him, I find peace.  You may think this is strange and at first so did I, but He is always there for me.

My first thoughts always lead to Jesus and I take Him at His word with peace in my heart.  May my meditation be pleasing to Him, as I listen to the word of God speak.  Isaiah the prophet says, "You will keep in perfect peace him that is steadfast and trusts in the Lord for He is the Rock eternal".

With the Lord so near, I am not anxious about anything, I just go to Jesus and by prayer and thanksgiving, I talk to Him and know that the peace of God will guard my heart and my mind in Christ Jesus...He will provide for me and meet all my needs according to the "glorious riches in Christ Jesus".

Every day brings a new day of various problems and difficulties.  When things get too much for me I remember the Apostle Paul's advice:

           "whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, 

whatsoever is admirable---if anything is excellent and praiseworthy---think on these things and the God of peace will be with me".  

How great is our God!  "I can do all things through Christ Jesus who strengthens me".  Even if I find myself at a loss for words, it's okay, I just listen for Him to speak. 

And there in the midst of it all:

I find Perfect Peace.

Psalm 104   Max Lucado   Isaiah 27   Mercy Me   Aaron Shust   Philippians 4

Our Hope in Him

In biblical usage, hope is an indication of certainty "a strong and confident expectation".  By its very nature, hope stresses two things; our futurity, and its invisibility.  It is never passive or static and makes us heavenly minded.  Hope is translated from the Greek word "elpis" meaning full assurance without doubt. Blessed hope is designed to:
   
     Instill patience, relieve anxiety, comfort the ones who are hurting, encourage a Godly walk, motivate
     brotherly love, and create a sense of urgency in believers to be busy about the Lords work.

 Maybe you are hurting and all you have is a high hope in nothing else to offer God.  You are taking one step forward and two steps back; just going through the motions.  Just remember the lady in the bible who clutched the hem of Jesus' robe with a belief that He could heal her, and a hope that he would.

Come to Jesus, who is our great hope having faith that He can help you with any problem you have, and a hope that He will.  Hoping He will make something so beautiful out of your troubled life; believing He will.  God gives perfect peace to those who are steadfast.

Remember He has forgiven all your sins and cast them as far from you as the "east is from the west" and crowns you with love and compassion.  He will satisfy your hopes and desires.  Ponder these things in your heart...

     Paul said in Philippians 3 that he considers all things a loss compared to the greatness of knowing Jesus.  He said, "I want to know Christ and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, becoming like Him".

So, forget what is behind you and look forward to what is ahead.  Learn to be content in whatever situation you find yourself in and believe that your God will supply all your needs.  That is our hope in Him:

A conviction that He can, and a hope that He will.

Psalm 103   Francesca Batistelli   Isaiah 26   Chris Rice   Philippians 3 and 4

Matthew West   Romans 5, 8, and 15   Luke 2

** The Choice Is Yours

God expects us to make Godly choices.  If we strive to be holy and persist in prayer, He will bestow grace unending to sanctify and make us holy.

I Choose Love... no situation justifies hatred.  Today I will choose love and what God loves.

I Choose Peace... I refuse to fall into the trap of the lazy thinker.  I refuse to see anyone as anything less than human beings created by God.  I refuse to see any problem as anything less than an opportunity to see God.

I Choose Patience... I will wait on the Lord for things I think I need now.  If I pray for something I think is critical, I  will wait on the Lord with joy and courage.

I Choose Self-Control... I have been saved by God's grace and faith and trust in Jesus.  I will be influenced only by God and taught only by Jesus and the Holy Spirit.  This I will do by faith.

I Choose Kindness and Goodness... I will be kind to the poor and the unkind for this is how my God has treated me.  I will be honest and not boast and I will confess before I accuse.

I Choose Gentleness... I will raise my voice only in prayer and praise.  If I make a demand, may it be on me.

I Choose Faithfulness... I will keep my promises of what I have chosen to do.  No one will question my word.  I will seek God's face and not only His hand.  I will seek the will of my Lord and do it.

If I fail in any of these choices, I will seek His grace and know He will forgive me.  My voice matters to Him.  Evening, morning, and at noon, He hears my voice.  Cast your cares on the Lord and He will sustain you.

I choose to give God all the glory and honor for anything good that I may do.  It is my desire that one day He will say to me, "Well done My good and faithful servant".

Max Lucado   Psalms 55  Proverbs 28  1Timothy 5   Hebrews 6

Saved by Grace

Have you been born again; made a new creation in Jesus?  If not, you have no destiny; no hope when you return to dust and that day is coming sooner than you think.  The bible says, "All have sinned and come short of the glory of God, and that the wages of sin is death".  That means eternal separation from God; literal hell.  Isn't it funny how you measure your value by appearance and performance?  One thing the bible tells us is that you are born again by the grace of God and there is no way you can be with God based on your performance or good works.  You will never get to heaven by just being a good person.  Salvation is by grace, it is the gift of God.  One day you will stand before God; where will you run?  Much love offered; much love refused.

Jesus died for your sins; becoming sin to pay your debt and give you value.  He cried out on the cross, "Father forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing".  God gave His only Son to get what you deserve. God could not look upon sin so He had to turn His head and separate Himself from his Son Jesus.  Jesus cried out, "Why have You forsaken Me".  God's holy heart was broken.

You need to go to the cross and realize He did this for you:  God is love, but He is also just.  What a priceless gift; undeserved life through Jesus crucified.  When you were under His wrath, He was calling you unto eternal life.  If you accept Christ as your Savior, through His death you can be reconciled.  Believe on the name of Jesus Christ, ask Him to forgive your sins, and ask Him to come live in your heart, and you will be made alive in Christ.  You must give him your whole world now and forever.  Then you will have destiny and hope.  It is by faith and trust in Jesus that you are saved.  All of this comes from the heart of a God who loves you enough to: by His grace send His son Jesus to die on a splintered cross.  Much love offered; much received.  You can't earn grace; it is an unmerited gift from God that you must receive.

You were saved by grace and now you must be ready to find out His will for your life...Faith by grace is faith in action.  Faith without working for Jesus is a dead faith.  Meet God each morning with prayer and praise for what He has done for you.  Study His word and by His grace He will show you the heavens and bathe you in His glory.  Once without hope, now eternally alive in Christ you walk with Him each day.  Outrageous love; amazing grace all from Jesus for you.  What a Savior!

God is not just looking down on us to see what we are doing.  He gives us His Holy Spirit to live within our spiritual hearts to navigate us through this life.  He just wants to be with us.  And if we allow Him to, by grace, He will lead us home forever.  How great is our God!

Max Lucado   Romans 3:23  Romans 6:23   Ephesians 2:8-9   Jeremy Riddle  James 2:17

Matthew 27:46   Luke 23:34   Acts 16:31   Tenth Avenue North   Chris Tomlin

Breaking Through the Dark

God took one look at us and saw the person we could be:  breaking through the dark He awakened our hearts and made something so beautiful.  Our hearts were full of joy and praise at what He had done.  That joy can spoil by a day of rain and disheartenment and pain.  But if we look up we see Him breaking through the clouds ready to heal us by faith.  He is the compassionate Christ.  O, how He loves us and never gives up:  Jesus is our deliverer and is our solid rock of salvation.

For the Lord is the great God and in His hands are the depths of the earth and the mountains we can't climb.  Take time to listen for Him and when you hear His voice don't harden your hearts.  Do what He says and become full of joy once again and expert mountain climbers.

Whatever your hands find to do, do it with all your might.  Enjoy your work for Him.  Pray for wisdom for it is greater than strength.  No man knows what is coming, so sharpen your axe and get busy; morning is coming but so is the night.  Jesus will care for you as you break through the dark.

God says to be imitators of him and live a life of love,  just as Christ loved us.  For you were once darkness, but now you are children of the great light of the world.  You will find producing the fruit of light which is all goodness, righteousness, and truth.  Find out what pleases the Lord.  Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness but "wake up, O sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you".

Be filled with the Holy Spirit; speaking to one another with songs and music in your heart always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the sweet name of our Lord, Christ Jesus.

O his love is a symphony and in our praises make Your home Lord, for what do we have to give to you Majesty except this life You have given us.  And when darkness comes in the light of your grace: fill up our hearts and make us whole.  There is no one like our God; we will praise you, praise you!

Max Lucado   Psalm 94   Jeff Medders  Ecclesiastes 10  Ephesians 5   Natalie Grant

Isaiah 20   Bebo Norman   Big Daddy Weave   Francesca Battistelli   David Crowder

Phil Wickham  Switchfoot

Priceless Gifts

Pause and envision that we are in the royal dining room of God.  Not because we deserve it, but because of His promise; He calls us to take a permanent place at His table.  At once you notice what awaits you:

     You are beyond condemnation.  You are a member of His kingdom.

     You have been adopted.  You have access to Him at any moment.

     You have an imperishable inheritance and will never be abandoned.

No wonder we should bless His holy name in thanksgiving and praise; to proclaim His love in the morning and His faithfulness at night.  Sing for joy, "How Great is our God"; we will exalt Him forever.  He is our solid rock.

Our Lord reins, and is robed in Majesty.  His throne was established long ago and it cannot be removed for eternity.

Any one who is living has hope.  Just look to the cross as Jesus beckons you; calls you into life where death no longer reigns.  What a priceless gift when you are reconciled in His great name; Jesus, the Holy Lamb of God.  He shows His undeserved love and shows He is also just.  Jesus saves!

Therefore, we should live a life worthy of our calling.  Being completely humble and gentle, bearing each other in love keeping the unity of peace through the Spirit.  Anything we do for Him we should do with all our strength and might.  We should be mature and courageous attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.

Put off your old self and put on the new, by waiting your hearts will become hardened and you will lose your sensitivity.  We were created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.

And this truth is the most wondrous one of all we were sealed for the day of redemption.

O, what a "priceless gift"; O, my soul.

Psalm 92, 93   Ecclesiastes 9   Max Lucado   Jeremy Riddle   Ephesians 4  Isaiah 19

Natalie Grant   Chris Tomlin  Casting Crowns   Phil Wickham

It's a New Day

Our yesterdays may have been less than perfect; even painful.  But if we know who we are, we should realize that even though the sunrise may not impress us; O Lord, it's a new day.  I'm so happy yesterday is gone and I have new choices to make.

Start your day with Jesus, who is waiting on you.  Now that is awesome!  The Lord of creation wants to start the new day with a morning of love and praise.  I know that sometimes He seems unreachable, but he will remember you in times of trouble; His love continues forever.  In His life on earth; He touched the leper with His hands, called for the dead to rise with a human tongue, shed tears which came from a heart as broken as yours or mine ever has been.  And the people came to Him because He was more than a preacher in a pulpit; He chose to be a touchable, reachable Jesus.  He is still that same Jesus waiting for you to begin a "new day" with Him.

The ones who make Jesus their dwelling place will be given rest in the shadow of the Almighty.  And under his wings you will be protected and not fear the terror of the night or the unknown day.  He will even send angels to guard you.  Oh, how He loves us!

At the cross, He proved that He was love, but also He was just.  Do you realize that He is jealous of you and me?  Jesus knows where your heart is, and wants your love and attention.  How else can the Word of God speak to us and give us counsel?  If you will listen, you may hear Him whisper your name:  "My love for you does not change".

God will give you grace to undergo anything that comes your way.  He will hide your heart and soul in "heavenly places" and give you the "unsearchable riches" of Christ.  He dwells in your hearts through faith, so that you will know His love and have all the fullness of God.  And through faith we may approach God with freedom and confidence.

Our God is reachable any time if we just "sweetly surrender" ourselves to Him.  If we're going to get started, how about now?  I get excited every morning because:

"It's a New Day"!

Mercy Me   Max Lucado   Psalm 90  136  Isaiah 17   Ephesians 3   David Crowder Band 

Jeremy Riddle   DC Talk  Robbie Seay Band  TobyMac