Liberating Truth

Accepting Jesus’ free gift of salvation frees us to accept ourselves.

Ephesians 1:3-10

He made us accepted in the Beloved.—Ephesians 1:6

By God’s design, each of us is an absolutely unique person, a Christ-redeemed human being who can never be replaced or duplicated.

Do you condemn yourself because you aren’t as spiritual as you think you ought to be? Do you see yourself as a second-rate disciple, lacking the gifts and graces possessed by fellow believers who seem to be models of prayer, witness, and service? We can rise above the mood of self-rejection and enjoy grateful self-acceptance when we put our lives into the nail-pierced hands of Jesus. “In Him we have redemption through His blood, [and] the forgiveness of sins” (Eph. 1:7). We are accepted and chosen by Him (vv.4-6).

If the Lord has accepted us, surely we can accept ourselves! That’s the liberating truth.—Vernon Grounds

 

All praise to the Lamb, accepted I am,

Through faith in the Savior’s adorable name;

In Him I confide, His blood is applied;

For me He hath suffered, for me He hath died.—Wesley

 

Finally Home

Those who love and serve God on earth will be right at home in heaven.

John 14:1-6

If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.—John 14:3

Someday, those of us who have trusted Jesus Christ as our personal Savior will leave this life and go to the place He has prepared for us (John 14:3). The journey may be difficult or

 

Are We Listening?

In God’s works we see His hand; in His Word we hear His heart.

Psalm 119:41-48

Be doers of the Word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.–James 1:22

I have heard people say, “If only God would talk to me! If He would just tell me what to do, I would do it.” The simple fact is that God has already spoken to us through His Word, the Bilbe. Do we listen to Him as He speaks?

 

Spelling Bee

To the wise, God’s Word is sufficient.

Psalm 119:9-16

Your Word I have hidden in my heart.—Psalm 119:11

…it’s possible to know how to spell a word, yet not understand it’s meaning.

As believers’ in Jesus Christ, it’s vital for us to know God’s Word, the Bible. Our goal is not to accumulate knowledge but to internalize His Word so that we can be equipped in our walk of faith.

 

The Debt Of Leadership

The only leaders qualified to lead are those who have learned to serve.

Psalm 86

Save Your servant who trusts in You!—Psalm 86:2

Examine the words of Psalm 86, and you might forget that you are reading the musings of a good leader. King David prayed, “O LORD hear me; for I am poor and needy” (v.1). Then the king of Israel refers to himself as a “servant” and pleads for mercy. Think of it! This was the man God had chosen to lead His people, pleading for God’s help. Wow!

As we think about the role of leaders—whether centuries ago or today—it’s vital that we review what leadership means. According to businessman and author Max De Pree, whose leadership moved his company near the top of the Fortune 500: “The first responsibility of a leader is to define reality. The last is to

 

Non-Christians: Friend or Foe?

I recently heard a young man preach a sermon on the importance of sharing the gospel. His philosophy was that as long as Christians are obeying God by witnessing to the lost, they should not care whether or not the lost accept Christ.

He proposed that this attitude takes the pressure off the one sharing the gospel. After all, if we only care about obeying God and not the results of sharing our faith, what do we have to lose?

While I agree that the decision of another person to accept or reject the call of Jesus is certainly not the responsibility of the one who shared the gospel, I disagree that the Christian’s attitude be one of not caring. His charge for Christians to not concern themselves with non-Christians who reject Jesus bothered me for two reasons; God commands Christians to care, and God has convicted me many times for not caring.

 

Looking Out For Others

The more you love the Lord, the more you will love others.

Philippians 2:3-8

Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.—Philippians 2:4

In giving of ourselves, we manifest the essence of Jesus’ character, for it has always been His nature to think more about others than He thinks of Himself. Why else would He humble Himself and become “obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross” (Phil 2:8).

Our natural tendency is to consider our own interests first—to look at everything from the perspective of our own needs and wants. But with Jesus’ help we can unlearn that habit. We can begin to think of the best interests of others—their wants, their concerns, their needs.

And so we must ask ourselves: Do we consider others’ interests more important than our own? Do we get as excited about what God is doing in and through them as we do about what He is doing in and through us? Do we long to see others grow in grace and gain recognition, though it may have been our efforts that made them successful? Do we find satisfaction in seeing our spiritual children surpass us in the work they are called to do? If so, such is the measurement of greatness.

We are most like our Lord when our thoughts for ourselves are lost in our thoughts for others. There is no greater love than that (John 15:13).—David Roper

Lord, grant me a heart of compassion

So burdened for others’ needs

That I will show them Your kindness

In attitudes, words, and deeds.—Fitzhugh

 

2,000-Year-Old Sprout

God never makes a promise that He will not keep.

Psalm 92:12-15

The righteous shall flourish like a palm tree. . .They shall still bear fruit in old age.—Psalm 92:12,14

In June of 2006, Israeli doctors and scientists successfully germinated a 2,000-year-old date palm see. Found at the Herodian fortress of Masada on the west bank of the Dead Sea, the seed was tagged “Methuselah” for the man with the oldest recorded age in the Bible (Gen. 5:27). In addition to the challenge of awakening a long-dormant seed, the team also wanted to learn more about the tree praised in Scripture for its shade, food, beauty, and medicinal qualities.

The date palm has an important role in the Bible. In the Old Testament, the tree is linked to the temple and presence of God. The New Testament describes excited crowds praising God and throwing palm branches at the feet of Jesus as He rode into Jerusalem on a donkey.

God’s promise is to bless the world through a descendant of Abraham also lay dormant for 2,000 years (see Gen 12:1-3). Finally, the Seed of promise sprouted. That Seed was Jesus, the long-awaited Messiah. Son the story of His resurrected life would go out to every nation on earth.

The miracle is now ours to experience. Time is not a factor. Neither is the barren ground of circumstance. All that matters is that we allow our hearts to be the soil in which Christ is welcomed and worshiped.—Mart De Haan

God’s promise like a tiny seed

May seem to be an empty thing,

But hidden in that tiny seed

Is life that waits the warmth of spring.—D. De Haan

 

An Old Man’s Prayer

No one stands as tall as a Christian on his knees.

Daniel 9:3-19

I set my face toward the Lord God to make request by prayer and supplications.—Daniel 9:3

Have you heard the story about the 85-year-old man who was arrested for praying?

You probably have. That’s the story of Daniel, an elderly Jewish resident in Babylon sentenced to death for faithfully talking to God (Dan.6).

Although the prayer that sent Daniel to the lion’s den is his most famous talk with God (6:11), it wasn’t the only time we see him in prayer.