Monday, July 27, 2009

Denying Oneself

Matthew 16:24-27

"Then Jesus said to His disciples, 'If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? For the Son of Man is going to come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and will then repay every man according to his deed.'"

Denying yourself, carrying your cross, and following Jesus is not a secondary matter in Jesus' mind. It is a matter of gaining or losing your soul; it is a matter of salvation or damnation. It saddens me that people do not recognize the gravity of the situation. Maybe it's because people believe gaining the world is much better than forfeiting their soul, or maybe they believe that they can give good works in exchange for their soul. Maybe they do not see the link between "forfeits his soul" and "must deny himself." Whatever the case, it is clear that Jesus requires you to deny yourself and carry your cross. That is how you follow Jesus and gain your soul. Only regenerate eyes can see the beauty of doing this.

Monday, July 20, 2009

The Joy of Being Silent

Exodus 14:14

"The LORD will fight for you while you keep silent."

The Israelites had just left Egypt through the deliverance of the LORD, but now they found themselves stuck between the Red Sea on one side and the Egyptian army on the other. So what does God tell them to do? Stay silent. You have to wonder why? They're in a pretty big mess! Well, here's what I think: when we stay silent, God does everything, and God gets all the glory. We witness the mighty power of God, and the sight lifts our hearts to worship. We take joy in being helpless and seeing God deliver mightily. I believe it is a picure of salvation. God does the saving; we do the rejoicing. Stay strong in the Lord and God bless!

Friday, July 10, 2009

Happy Birthday John Calvin!

Today is John Calvin's 500th birthday. 500 years later and he's still relevant. A day to thank God for gifting His body with a theologian whose work still directs our minds and hearts to Christ. Stay strong and God bless!

Monday, July 6, 2009

Every Spiritual Blessing

Ephesians 1:3

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ"

I love how this verse says "has blessed" and not "will bless." Every spiritual blessing is not some distant promise. It is a reality that true Christians experience now as they are "in Christ." It also says "every spiritual blessing" rather than "some spiritual blessing." Through Christ we experience every spiritual blessing the Father has intended for and has given to us. So what is "every spiritual blessing"? In context, I believe it is the Christians union with Christ foreordained by the Father. But I believe it also has a very physical aspect as well. I believe it is the Church. Being part of this heavenly body is a grace that we'll never fully fathom and appreciate as much as it deserves. What grace is this that sinners who deserve nothing have gained everything!