Jesus knew His mission. He was set to go to the cross, and on that cross He would pay the price for our sin, for our peace, for our sicknesses, and for our diseases. He took upon Himself all our punishment on that cross. He had come to earth to forgive us of our sins and to heal us of our diseases!
It is never wise to blame God, life, circumstances, the government, the economy, family, neighborhood, the past or anything else for the life you are experiencing right now. The truth is, whatever you have sown, you will reap. But the good news is, if you don’t like where you are right now, you can use that truth to turn things around!
We must always remember, the Cross precedes the Power. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son.” The love of God is what motivates us to minister the life of God to people as they are healed, delivered and set free!
Jude 1:22-23 Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life. And of some have compassion, making a difference. And others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire; hating even the garment spotted by the flesh.
I am always happy about the benefits of walking with God on this earth, but I’m also very aware that the very best on earth is so temporary that it’s hardly worth mentioning compared to what our real life will be when we drop off this body.
But then—I think of all those who have nothing to look forward to but fire. I can’t think of anything worse, and that also is a motivation to be my best here.
Many want to be in the books of the rich and famous and that’s wonderful. Bravo! But there is only one book that will hold the test of time, and that is the Book of Life. Confirm to yourself that you are in that book, and you will find motivation to enjoy each day.
Revelation 20:14 And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.
on the day of salvation, I helped you. Behold, now is the acceptable time. Behold, now is the day of salvation.”
When was that day of salvation? Not today, not tomorrow, but two thousand years ago He was nailed to that cross for you. What does that say for us? That that was the acceptable day of salvation. And that day of salvation has never ended, because it was a one-time sacrifice for all people, for all history, and for anyone who would call upon His name!
If a brush fire was coming your way as you stood in an open field, there is no way you could out run the fire. What would you do to avoid the flames? The only thing that you could do would be to start another fire and burn an area of land for you to stand on—because burned land cannot be burned twice! You would then have to stand, unmoving, on that scorched land as the brush fire’s flames passed around you.
This is what God has offered. When we stand in Jesus, we stand on sacred, holy ground already burned by the fire of judgment. Jesus took on the sins of the world and has already gone to hell for us. Therefore, the land cannot be burned twice!
I do not want to stand before God as my Judge and be found lacking, so I stand today before Jesus as my Lord. My identity is not just a positive thought of how I would like to be. No, my identity is forever established in heaven as righteous, redeemed, holy, washed, and new—because of Jesus’ finished work here on earth!
Imagine giving a gift, something very precious which you have taken painstaking effort to prepare for the one you love so much. You’ve taken time, money and energy to plan the specific moment you will present your gift. And then, the unthinkable happens—the gift is rejected. The answer is NO. The reality dawns on you—this person I love so much is not interested in me or my gift.
I wonder how God feels? He sent His precious Son to carry our burdens, to take away our sins, to be beaten for our diseases. The chastisement of our peace was upon Him (Isaiah 53). This amazing substitution is God’s gracious and loving gift to us. It can’t be earned, it’s a free gift! Yet multitudes still reject His love!
Today, I encourage you to remember what Jesus has done for you. Receive this free gift! Simply dare to believe that He died for you and that He rose from the dead. You will never be the same!
If we could get God’s perspective of people then we would win the world, but we see people through our own eyes. We like to keep records on people and hold the books. We know who is a sinner and who is a saint. God looks on the heart while we look on the outside, but we still think we know people better. We look at a prostitute, an addict, or a hardened prison inmate and label them with a big sign that says, “Sinner.”
Have you ever asked how much that ‘sinner’ is worth? How much God paid for him or her? It was the price of His Son. How much are you worth? The same.
There is no difference in value between the criminal and the evangelist. The mafia boss is called of God as much as a pastor, and probably is a pastor but just doesn’t know it!
All are already paid for. The only difference between them and you is that they don’t know it and you do. When we truly understand this, we will be motivated to tell them.
When your motive is love the world will listen to you. Love is the most talked about subject on TV. Love is the theme of most movies in Hollywood. Love is what the world is drawn to, yet they are looking in the wrong places. Jesus laid a foundation for our faith by saying it requires the right motive to get the right results. Faith works by love. Jesus said that if we love as He loved then all the world would be drawn to him.
He also said, “A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all people know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another” (John 13:34).
This type of love is not understood by the world, but the world is drawn to it because it comes full of forgiveness and acceptance. This love believes in you and wants the best for you.
The world has forgotten what God is like, so God became flesh and dwelt among us and showed us what He is really like. God needed flesh to show off His love.
Let’s give our flesh to God’s purpose—being examples of love.
We all are familiar with sitting down in a restaurant and placing an order. We look at the menu and enjoy making our choices. I have seen some people get very anxious about it, and I have seen others wait and wait and wait because they can’t make a choice.
Years ago in Russia, where the food was rather bland, I recall looking forward to working on the border of China and going to a Chinese restaurant in the city of Khabarovsk. I was excited to eat spicy food, and with over 200 items on the menu, I was ready!
I asked for a certain type of rice but was told they didn’t have it, so I asked for another. They replied, “Don’t have it,” so I asked for another. They again replied, “Don’t have.” I gave up and asked what they did have.
“No rice, only potatoes.” Then I ordered Peking chicken. “Sorry, don’t have.” So I switched to Szechwan chicken. “Sorry, don’t have.” Hunan chicken? “Sorry, don’t have.” I finally gave up and asked, “What do you have??”
“Only Russian chicken legs.”
What would you do? I tell you this because some people believe it doesn’t matter what they really want in life. Many people think there is only one thing, opportunity, or flavor on the menu of life, just like I experienced. It might feel like you have no choice—but you always do!
Joshua 24:15
“And if it seem evil unto you to serve the Lord, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”
You may not immediately get what you ask, but you can respond in a way that keeps your faith alive and an answer coming. Anger, disgust, frustration, or even hate is NOT the response that will bring a miracle. Forgiveness, mercy, joy, patience, and love toward others will turn the decisions of others into a triumph for Christ.
When Paul and Silas were thrown in prison, they could have responded with great anger because it was Jesus who told them to go to that city. They could have responded with tears, depression, resignation, etc., and everybody would have agreed to their sob story…but they chose to sing!
When the presence of Jesus is fresh in you, then you will have a good response to whatever is on the menu of life, or not on it. Your response is what makes you different, because you know you have a different source. The jail shook and doors flew open, and Paul was led out of the city as a dignitary, because he saw beyond the situation!
